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Welcome to the God's goodness podcast where our mission is to encourage as well as highlight

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God's goodness and modern day miracles.

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We are your hosts, Josh and Shelly Hankins.

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Today we have with us a special guest, his name is Dominic DeMarco and I was telling

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my boss the other day, the more I get to know Dominic, the more I like this guy.

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So without further ado, he's going to open us our episode with an opening prayer.

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First I'd like to say thank you to God.

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Let's first and foremost thank you guys for this opportunity to do God's work.

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God's will.

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So Lord Heavenly Father, we come to you today with a prayer of thanksgiving.

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We ask you for nothing.

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We just say thank you for the life you've given us, the opportunities to do your will

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and your works.

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We just ask that today that we be a vessel of your peace, your word, your understanding

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that may bless one person or help one person navigate through a trying moment, a difficult

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day and just make a bad day, a bad moment.

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So I just ask you to wrap your loving arms in protection around each and every one of

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us in this crazy cruel world and we thank you for the life you've given us.

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In Jesus' name we praise you, almighty God.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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So where would you like to start Dominic?

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Well, maybe the beginning.

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So for me, the beginning isn't the day I was born.

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For me, the beginning is the day I was reborn and the birth of Christ.

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And that came in the form of an experience in the Yonge and Yenny County Jail.

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I met a lady there, her name was Sister Tony and I was on a 24-hour lockdown because I

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was a violent and vicious guy back then through the drugs and alcohol.

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And she used to come by the cell and she'd always say, can I pray with you?

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And I'd say, Sister, take that down the road.

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I'm good.

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You know, I was born and raised Catholic.

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There's nothing wrong with that.

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To me, being born and raised Catholic was like wine.

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And being a Christian is like moonshine.

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That's the best way to explain it.

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The extreme difference.

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The Catholic religion introduced me to God.

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My Christian family introduced me to Jesus Christ and there's an amazing difference in

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that.

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So I'm sure you understand.

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Yeah, the relationship is everything.

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It is everything.

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I'm glad you said we were just talking before we started this about the change in our

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life and that relationship of God changed just one thing for me, everything.

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Yeah, so Sister Tony came by on this particular day and she said, hey, can I pray with you?

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And I had said no so many times before this and this particular day I wanted to start

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it up a little bit.

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So for me as an inmate to start it up, I knew they'd have to call a bunch of people to get

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me out of the cell to do this.

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So I said, yeah, you can pray with me today.

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And she said, well, open the cell.

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And they said, Sister Tony, we can't do that.

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We need to call the CERT team.

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We need white shirts here, security.

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This is a dangerous man.

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She looked at me and she goes, you're not going to hurt me.

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Are you?

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And I said, absolutely not.

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She goes, you're not going to hurt them.

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Are you?

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And I smiled.

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I said, not unless they make me.

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But I wasn't good.

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I was just joking.

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So the change of events took place and I got on my knees and she got on her knees and Sister

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Tony was in her late 70s at this time.

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She prayed and when I stood up, only one thing changed in my life, everything.

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That day, I no longer stressed over minor details and things.

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I no longer wanted to be vicious and violent.

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God through Sister Tony had planted a seed inside of me and, you know, picking up a Bible

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and reading scripture and putting him first, making decisions that would make him proud

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of me, not disappointed in me, began a transformation.

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Now, let me tell you, they didn't open up the doors and say, okay, you're a Christian now,

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you can go home.

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I still had to go to prison for seven years.

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So when was that experience with?

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1996.

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No, but like, how long were you in prison for?

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Seven years.

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No, but like, when did you come to pray and then?

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How long were you in jail before?

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A sister.

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About 14, 16 months.

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Okay.

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And then you prayed with her?

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Yes.

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Okay.

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And then you were in prison, getting closer, you know, to Jesus and the word.

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Oh, and also this was an immediate transformation.

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Like, like God took the thunder out of your face.

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Pretty much within a day or two, like things changed, you know, but that's what, let me

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say this, you know, when you accept God and Jesus Christ in your life, the devil don't

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like that.

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You know, the devil doesn't attack what is already his.

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If the devil's not attacking you, you're doing everything wrong.

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And let me say that's the way you understand it.

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If you're hurting people and you're deceiving people and you're part of the problem, not

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the solution, the devil's not going to get in the way.

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He wants you to keep doing that.

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But the minute you accept Jesus Christ in your life, you start to make, embrace the

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transformation because we don't make it.

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God does.

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So when we embrace that transformation, the devil will come at you and he doesn't come

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at us like a freight train head on.

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He comes to us with a little inconvenience, a little white lie.

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And sometimes the white lies, not even about someone in front of me or behind me or next

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to me.

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Sometimes it's like, you know, it's going to rain today.

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Your body's going to hurt today because of the rain, because of all the things you did.

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Meanwhile, I look, I don't see a cloud in the sky, but he'll have me thinking it's going

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to rain.

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And that's what he does with misdirection.

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Devil comes to kill, steal and destroy.

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That's the bad news.

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The good news is he can't take away anything he didn't provide.

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And that's in scripture.

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The devil cannot take from you what God has given you.

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So for that reason, his biggest toll is misdirection.

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You know, have you second guessed in your decision that you yell at your son for maybe

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playing on the game too long and you feel bad about it?

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It's not about the game.

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It has nothing to do with the game.

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It has to do with something else.

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It's just what can he do to create minor inconveniences and misdirection?

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Because if you're focused on his pain, his misery, his lies, his cheating, stealing, his

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killing, you're not focused in on God and Jesus Christ.

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And the devil doesn't hate you.

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He doesn't hate me.

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He hates God.

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And if someone wants to get even with Josh and Shelly, they're not going to come at

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you.

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They'll come at your family, your children.

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And that's exactly what the devil does.

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He comes at God's children and that's us.

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So I've often said that the devil doesn't care about us like or hate.

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We're nothing to him.

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But it's a way he uses to get to God like a little child.

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Correct.

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And the moment, in the very moment you accept Jesus Christ, everything changes.

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You know, let me say it different.

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For me, everything changed.

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I don't want to say it was any more, any less than anybody else's experience with it.

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But when I accepted Jesus Christ into my life, things just got easier.

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If you stepped on my toe, I could say, hey, Josh, that's okay.

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God gave me nine more.

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We chuckled.

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That would be it.

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But if I step on your toe, you'd be like, that's okay.

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I can't forgive me.

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Why is it easier for me to forgive you than to forgive me?

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Well, that's the devil.

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He creates that seed of doubt inside of us, but less than.

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You know, I'm a recovering alcoholic and an addict.

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And you know, I learned a couple of things in treatment.

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I've been doing this clean and sober thing 28 and a half of the last 30 years.

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Okay.

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And I didn't become a drug addict and an alcoholic because I wanted to go out and be a bum.

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I became a drug addict and an alcoholic because I got shot twice in nine months, twice in

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nine months and had PTSD and had no tools to navigate through the healing process of

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that.

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So that process took me in that direction.

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But what's really important is I remember somebody saying to me and Dom, you have to

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get an addiction.

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You have to give up every single thing that you love in this world for that one thing,

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that chemical.

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But in recovery, you have to just give up one thing to have everything.

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And I was like, wow, I can understand that.

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I can embrace that.

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My life just got instantly better.

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You know, once I accepted Jesus Christ, I didn't have to get loaded anymore.

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It became easier for me to stay clean and sober.

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And there was a pastor and I'm not going to say his name here because I don't know where

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he is today.

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And I know he went through his own troubles because, you know, we're human beings.

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He said, Dom, he says, you know, Jesus died for that one too.

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He turned to God and said, Hey, you know, you see what Dom did?

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Yeah.

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Put that on my tab.

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I got that one.

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God, I died for that one too.

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So when I realized all he did for me, all he did for us, all he did for you, can I do

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one little thing for him?

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And that's just, just where I'm at today.

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You know, I just spoke to some people.

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I spoke to a group of kids at a funeral.

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So I'm an ordained minister.

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I got ordained back in 2022, August 15th of 2022.

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And I don't really like to do weddings because if a person can't look at me and say, I'm

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even exhaust every tool at my disposal before we ever talk about divorce, I'm not going

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to go to God and say, Hey, listen, can we join this union together?

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So there's no greater honor for me to be invited to help celebrate someone's life and say goodbye.

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Because that's what my mission was when this started.

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When I started this journey in Southeastern University and online classes to become an

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ordained minister, my first assignment is why did you choose this path, this journey?

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You know, in 500 words or less.

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And basically what I said was, you know, because my wife died of cancer in November

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5th of 2019.

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And there was nobody there to minister to her because of COVID.

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And I don't want anybody to have to make that transformation alone.

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Well, a couple of hours later, I got a call like 11 o'clock at night and I get up early,

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early at four o'clock in the morning.

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And it was my instructor.

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And he said, you know, reduced himself.

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And he goes, was that true?

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And I'm like, absolutely.

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He goes, you're going to be fine.

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He goes, you know, I've been doing this like 17 years.

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I've never heard that.

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And it's funny because that's where God seems to use me most.

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I've done a couple of weddings.

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I've married a couple of couples because they've said to me, I'll exhaust everything before

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I even talk about the verse.

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And the other thing is the other couple said to me, I remember when I got married to my

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wife, Pastor David Ells.

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We didn't have marriage glasses back then.

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So what happened was David came to stay with me for three days.

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My wife, Deb, went to stay with his wife for three or four days.

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And basically David would come in, he would throw stuff on the floor, close, leave dishes

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in the sink, leave the trash, block my car in.

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And I was like, what are you doing?

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He goes, well, I just want you to know what not to do when you're married to your wife.

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And we ended up going to a restaurant out in Skrill Hill, like the first day before

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we got married.

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And that was called pull-eyes.

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And we were sitting there and she said, Deb got a rest or soul said, you know, I asked

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him how we met things.

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And she goes, and I just don't know what I would do with Adam.

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And for the first time, David Ells got really firm.

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And he looked at us and he said, well, you better figure that out.

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Because one day God is going to call one of you home and not the other.

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And you're going to figure out how you have to navigate through this.

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And I had no idea of the gravity and the impact of that statement until she took her last

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breath.

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Because all along, I had assumed it would be me that passed and not her.

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Because of my life, because of the decisions I had made, because of my health, you know,

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family history, a lot of different reasons.

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And secretly, I think subconsciously, you probably felt you deserved it.

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Absolutely.

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Josh, that's a great statement because how we see us and how other people see us is

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completely different.

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Now, let's take that to the next level.

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One of my greatest spiritual gifts is I see you at your highest and best the way God sees

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you.

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I see when I drive by and I see the homeless guy on the street, I don't see the homeless

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guy on the street.

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I see the husband, the father, the son, the brother.

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I see all of his accomplishments, not whatever the finding moment happened in his life, traumatic

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moment that put him or her in that position.

250
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So instantly, I want to say, let me stop here.

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You know, the first time you might get a dollar or two.

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If you're a homeless veteran, I've been known to give you everything in my pocket, which

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can be little or it could be a lot.

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I've been known to take them, put them in the car and take them to a hotel and get them

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cleaned up and then get them into rehab.

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Only they'd get a call a few months later the day it passed away or an overdose, because

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that happens too, I think.

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But how we see us and how other people see us is completely different to how God sees

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us.

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See, because he knew who we were when he created us.

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The final masterpiece.

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The final masterpiece.

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So great.

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00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:48,720
Shelly, you hit the nail on the head.

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00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,960
I'm like a fine wine agent, you know, getting better with age.

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I'm like in my 40s.

267
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So I think of masterpiece.

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So how about when people say, I'm damaged, I'm broken.

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You're not damaged and broken.

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Listen, I'm in construction.

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If I go out to my truck right now, I can get the hammer out of there and I can come in,

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I can take it to this desk and I can break it up into a thousand little pieces.

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Or I could get my smaller hammer and I can, and I could chisel away it and create the

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masterpiece underneath.

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Sometimes the hammer is used for multiple to the purposes.

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Sometimes the hammer is meant to destroy things, the devil.

277
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And sometimes the hammer is meant to cultivate or sculpt the final product underneath, which

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is the greatest beauty.

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Have you ever looked at somebody's social media post or a picture and said, wow, that's

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a beautiful picture.

281
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The master has painted another amusing masterpiece.

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Well, you know, think about the hurricane that came through for that storm that cleaned

283
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off the sand.

284
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Not every storm is designed to destroy us.

285
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Sometimes it's designed to cleanse us.

286
00:13:57,680 --> 00:13:58,680
Oh yeah.

287
00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:03,840
And the other thing is, I just read recently a really profound statement.

288
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You know, I can't control the wind, but I can adjust my sails.

289
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So sometimes the wind doesn't blow through to destroy my life.

290
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,960
Sometimes the wind blows through to just clear the way.

291
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It can be refreshing.

292
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And be refreshed.

293
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:21,280
Oh yeah.

294
00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:24,600
I have a nice hot day and that cool breeze comes and it just reinvigorates you.

295
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:25,600
You're just like, ah.

296
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:26,600
Amen.

297
00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:32,120
I often will get up in the morning with the dogs out and I'll sit there.

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00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:36,080
I'll just breathe in the air and imagine it, the Holy Spirit filling my lungs and I just

299
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give that moment to God.

300
00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,480
You know, you pray to sin and you say, we're not coming to ask you for anything, just to

301
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:41,480
thank you.

302
00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:42,480
Right?

303
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:43,480
That's how I start my mornings.

304
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:44,480
I don't ask him for anything.

305
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,360
I just say, I just want to spend this moment with you.

306
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You know, this is where I want to be rooted with you and just breathe it in and imagine

307
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:51,600
it's the Holy Spirit.

308
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:57,080
I think the wind is a wonderful tool and I've seen the destruction it can do.

309
00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:58,200
You know, it can go either way.

310
00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,360
It's just like our tongues.

311
00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,440
You know, we have this powerful tool for creating and encouraging.

312
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,880
I'm apparently really good at encouraging people, but I haven't always.

313
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,360
I've been able to destroy people with this tongue.

314
00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:14,520
That's the way God made us in his image that he can create and he can destroy, but he chooses

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to create.

316
00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:21,200
And so I think we need to take that mantle and also choose to create because he could

317
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,440
easily just wipe us all out like with the flood.

318
00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:24,440
He could easily just flip.

319
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:25,440
I'm done with it.

320
00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:26,440
Done.

321
00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,320
He won't and he didn't send Jesus for that very reason.

322
00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,240
He didn't send Jesus to condemn the world but to save the world.

323
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:33,240
Right.

324
00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,000
I think it's my favorite passage in the Bible because it's often overlooked.

325
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,920
Everyone always goes to John 3.16 and is like, but you can't stop there.

326
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:40,920
That's right.

327
00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,240
I will never read 3.16 without reading 3.17.

328
00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:45,880
You know, I'm glad you said that.

329
00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:51,760
And there's a couple other scriptures that really, really hit home and it's Jeremiah

330
00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:52,760
29-11.

331
00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:54,960
If you know not the plans I have for you.

332
00:15:54,960 --> 00:16:02,000
You know, I remember early on as I undertook this journey into spirituality for ministry,

333
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,840
I kept saying it because everybody else was saying, you can't do that.

334
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:06,320
You've been with a lot of women.

335
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:07,320
You can't do that.

336
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:08,600
You were in organized crime.

337
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:09,600
You can't do that.

338
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:10,600
You've done this.

339
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:11,600
You can't do that.

340
00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:12,680
You were an addict and alcoholic.

341
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,320
But I had that spiritual awakening we spoke about earlier.

342
00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:17,120
I was driving up 885.

343
00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:18,560
The clouds separated.

344
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,800
The sun came on.

345
00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,240
I heard from the backseat of my car where my pit bull and my lab were.

346
00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:25,600
Yes, you can.

347
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:27,920
He was qualifying you this whole time.

348
00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:28,920
Yes.

349
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,240
You were called and he qualified you.

350
00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:32,720
Yes, you can.

351
00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:37,120
How did that make you feel when you had that affirmation from God himself?

352
00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:38,120
Scared.

353
00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:39,120
I'm not going to lie.

354
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,120
I was fearful.

355
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:44,000
You know, and Pastor Pete, there's a joke between me and Pastor Pete Jack alone.

356
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:45,000
You guys said he was on the show.

357
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,080
He's an amazing man of God.

358
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,080
He has an anointing over him that just has a way of just tying it together and helping

359
00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,680
you understand whether you're a theologian or a construction guy like me.

360
00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:57,200
You just understand it.

361
00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:58,480
He has a way of that.

362
00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:03,480
But the broken are not broken.

363
00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,360
They're under construction.

364
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:09,960
I was sitting there thinking about, I'm in the middle of doing something a little different.

365
00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,160
And I was thinking about, so I was writing something the other day.

366
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,760
And for me, it came down to this, the well don't need a physician.

367
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,080
There's a reason God takes us through the steps.

368
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:24,000
So remember when you were a baby, you had to crawl before you walked.

369
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,440
You had to walk before you ran.

370
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,880
But then you learn to run and then you have to learn how to control that.

371
00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,080
Well, our spirituality is the same.

372
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:37,080
We have to exercise our spirituality like we exercise our bodies, our minds, our soul.

373
00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,200
If we're not exercising, if we're not in the solution, we're probably in the problem.

374
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:43,200
Yeah, I agree.

375
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,240
If you're not trying to stand, you wouldn't have business crying about not being able

376
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:47,240
to.

377
00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:48,240
Right.

378
00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:49,240
Right.

379
00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,480
And the other half of the coin is, I don't mind being a devil's workshop.

380
00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:52,560
I could see that.

381
00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:53,840
I could see that in my life.

382
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:55,640
I could see that over the years.

383
00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,880
I could see that in people around me.

384
00:17:57,880 --> 00:17:59,080
I've been very fortunate.

385
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:06,200
I've been very blessed with the opportunity to live two lives as an alcoholic and an addict

386
00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:11,800
and to make that struggle to get back, but now to reap the rewards as a child of God

387
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,640
and to see the transformation in my life.

388
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,320
You know, the BC and after Christ.

389
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:18,320
Yes.

390
00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:19,320
Yes.

391
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:23,200
You know, I remember there was a, there was a probation officer and I was in prison.

392
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:28,480
I told you this and he says, oh, and, and, you know, he was very condescending and he

393
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,960
said to me, oh, so I see you, you go to church.

394
00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:33,360
And I said, yeah, I do.

395
00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,040
And he says, so would you do come to jail and find God?

396
00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,720
I immediately went to his defense and I said, no, I didn't find God here.

397
00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:40,720
He was never lost.

398
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,400
I was, you know, he was taken back by that statement.

399
00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:47,680
But you know, how dare you question my relationship with the God of my understanding without qualifying

400
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,440
the relationship with the God of your understanding.

401
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,440
And he said to me, what do you mean a God of your understanding?

402
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,080
You know, I said, well, you can't have a relationship with my God.

403
00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,080
You can have a relationship with your God.

404
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,520
Although our gods are probably the same, you have to have a relationship with your God.

405
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:08,080
Now, if you don't have a God, you can borrow mine until you find one of your own.

406
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:12,320
But in the interim, you better have a relationship with God because one day, and he said, what

407
00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:16,080
makes you, you know, you're falling for that biggest scam there is, that religious scam.

408
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,400
It's been going on for thousands of years.

409
00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,600
And I said to him, I said, well, what's your name?

410
00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:23,600
And he says, my name's Bob.

411
00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:24,840
Robert, I said, can I call you Bob?

412
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:26,120
Robert, you can call me Bob.

413
00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:27,680
I said, Bob, let me ask you a question.

414
00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,880
I said, you drive with car insurance?

415
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,440
He says, yeah, what's the law?

416
00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:35,360
I said, do you have homeowner's insurance?

417
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:39,200
He said, yeah, but I have to have it for my mortgage.

418
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:40,440
I said, how about health insurance?

419
00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,680
He goes, yeah, they give me health insurance here with the state.

420
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:48,000
I said, well, consider my relationship with God, eternity insurance.

421
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,400
If I'm wrong, what do we got to lose?

422
00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,520
If I'm wrong, but if you're wrong, you'll have one thing to lose.

423
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:56,520
Everything.

424
00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,800
I saw that coming.

425
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,480
You know.

426
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:08,840
I actually appreciate atheists because for me, the drive at home, how real God is.

427
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,480
You know, as you said earlier, the devil doesn't attack people that aren't in relationship

428
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,800
with Christ because he has no point.

429
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:20,400
And then we see atheists, how many times you see them coming after a Muslim or Hindu or

430
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:26,640
a Buddhist or Scientologists or Krishna or anything other than a Christian.

431
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:27,760
I'm glad you said that.

432
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:31,240
I'm so glad you said that because you don't.

433
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:36,680
Because we are Christians and their interpretation of what the Bible says is that, you know,

434
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:37,840
love one another as I've loved you.

435
00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:38,920
That's true.

436
00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,400
But there's nowhere in my Bible that says be the victim.

437
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,320
So and I said this to somebody.

438
00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:50,480
I just recently just joking, but I said it, me and Sam Gattano, we were on vacation and

439
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:51,640
you said Sam has been there before.

440
00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,600
He's amazing man of God, a good friend and brother of mine.

441
00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:55,800
But somebody said something.

442
00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,040
They said, well, that doesn't sound very Christian like.

443
00:20:58,040 --> 00:20:59,040
I said, it's funny.

444
00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:00,560
I've never seen you in my church.

445
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:01,560
Huh?

446
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:02,560
I said, well, here's the deal.

447
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,160
Well, maybe I don't go to your church.

448
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:05,160
I said, well, here's the deal.

449
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,640
Come to my church once and I'll come to your church.

450
00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:08,720
Well, why?

451
00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,480
Well, because I'm dying to see where your perception comes from.

452
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:13,840
I said, listen.

453
00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,000
I'm a Christian, but I'm a human being.

454
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,000
I always say this.

455
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,600
I say, so I'm a Christian.

456
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,040
So I know how to ask God for forgiveness.

457
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:23,360
I'm an excavator.

458
00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:25,200
So I know how to dig holes.

459
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,240
I'm a former martial artist and a boxer.

460
00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,680
So I know how to strike and break the human body.

461
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:30,680
Be careful.

462
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,120
I'm a multi-tasker now.

463
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:35,200
And I know how to ask for forgiveness.

464
00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:39,540
And now that I'm in ministry and I can with the excavator, I can dig the hole and pray

465
00:21:39,540 --> 00:21:41,680
over your body before he came into the earth.

466
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,440
Now I say it's a joke and I said, I'm a Craig multi-tasker.

467
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:50,880
He looked to be all offended and Sam goes, that was really good.

468
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:55,600
So people think that as Christians, we should be doormats.

469
00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:56,600
No.

470
00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:04,040
Our job as Christians is to introduce people to God and Jesus Christ and to help them navigate

471
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:05,600
their relationship with God.

472
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:06,600
Yes.

473
00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:07,600
Yeah, that's key.

474
00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:08,600
That's the discipleship.

475
00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:09,600
Right.

476
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,240
He didn't call us to convert the world.

477
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,720
He called us to make disciples of all the nations, right?

478
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,760
And you can't make a disciple if you have no relationship with them to teach them the

479
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:23,320
Word of God to the best of your understanding or lead them to someone who can.

480
00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:24,320
Josh, that's amazing.

481
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:25,720
I thank you for that.

482
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:30,640
Something else that was pointed out to me, we've all heard it said, it's not what I

483
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:31,640
say that matters.

484
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,320
It's what I do.

485
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:34,320
That's wrong.

486
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:35,320
That's incorrect.

487
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,000
It's what I say and what I do.

488
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,200
It's by having a consistency.

489
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,080
It's by and through our relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

490
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,760
Now, as we're sitting here talking, let me say this, none of this has anything to do

491
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,200
with Dom or Shelly or Josh.

492
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:51,840
It's all about God and Jesus Christ.

493
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:53,840
Listen, he ordained this.

494
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,320
He knew this was going to happen today long before we ever even thought about it.

495
00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,320
Oh, yes.

496
00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:05,360
When I was shooting pull back in the 80s or 70s, he knew I'd be here in 2024 because

497
00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:08,240
he knows things we don't.

498
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:14,560
He knows, I'll pray and I'll ask God to reveal me just a glimpse of his will for us and give

499
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,760
me the power to help carry that out.

500
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,480
Now, I encourage you not to pray for patience.

501
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,320
You will not like how that works out.

502
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,960
I actually encourage people to pray for the hard things because you'll never get it.

503
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,160
You'll be like, I don't want to pray for that because he'll test me.

504
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:29,160
Let him test you.

505
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:30,160
Hey.

506
00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,160
Let him know what are you afraid of?

507
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:32,160
It's God testing you.

508
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,440
He's not going to kill you to do this.

509
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:35,960
It's going to mold you and make you better.

510
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,160
And yes, you're going to have a struggle, a live branch being pruned is still painful.

511
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:41,160
Amen.

512
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,880
I said, we serve a God of abundance, not a God of mediocrity.

513
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:45,880
You know what?

514
00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:50,320
The profound change in our personality is the testimony of his grace and his mercy.

515
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,200
He took the apostle Paul.

516
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:53,440
He murdered Christians.

517
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:54,440
He took him.

518
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:55,840
Now he's the father of the church.

519
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:59,720
He's the tax, Matthew, the tax collector.

520
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:07,480
He used the most obscure people to send the biggest message because I asked somebody why,

521
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,240
why such a dramatic transformation?

522
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,600
He said, Adam, it had to be traumatic.

523
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,520
So they're still talking about it thousands of years later.

524
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,040
And to me, that just rang home.

525
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,040
Yes.

526
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:24,720
If he took a bunch of Sadducees and Pharisees and scribes and teachers of the law, people

527
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:29,920
would say, huh, but he literally sat down with the dregs of humanity or what was considered

528
00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,080
the dregs of humanity in that time.

529
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,400
Fishermen weren't really looked upon as the best thing you could do.

530
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,160
The tax collector certainly wasn't the best you could do.

531
00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:42,120
He had a zealot on his team that was willing to lay his life down for his concept of who

532
00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,280
God was without even knowing who Jesus was, right?

533
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:50,520
And he took these people who didn't like each other because of the same cultural differences

534
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:51,600
that they had.

535
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:58,440
And man, he just made a group that was beyond reproach in considering that so many people

536
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,840
think that this is made up, right?

537
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:06,360
How did these people that started off not liking each other preach a message of love

538
00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:11,600
in a way that was contradictory to the hateful message that was spread before it all the

539
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,360
way to their death if it wasn't true?

540
00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:16,680
Why would I let this kill me if I didn't believe it?

541
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:21,000
To me, there's so much testament and proof in the Bible that people gloss over and don't

542
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:26,640
understand because they don't bother to God the chance to let him make it clear to them.

543
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:27,800
It's a great point.

544
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,400
For me, you know, in 2024, I see two things.

545
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:37,040
I see a sad state of affair where our world is gone and where I see it going.

546
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,360
It's no longer acceptable for me to talk about God and Jesus Christ in an open face.

547
00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:46,560
We can talk about chance, gender and changing body parts off.

548
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,520
We can't talk about God, but we can talk about destroying people.

549
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,080
I put a post on it.

550
00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:53,560
Yeah, you can't pray over people, but you can say curses over them.

551
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:54,560
Ain't that funny?

552
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:55,960
And I was going to allude to that.

553
00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:02,800
So there's a I'm on a social media site platform and I got flagged for saying something that

554
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,720
was what they deemed inappropriate.

555
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:05,960
It was spiritual.

556
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:11,880
You know, I was talking about the crucifixion and the resurrection, but it wasn't OK for

557
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:18,040
them to sit there and belittle each other and criticize someone who had a mental disability.

558
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:22,960
So for me, just I got off of that site just so you know, I'm not on that site anymore.

559
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,480
My point being is the world's gone mad.

560
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:30,280
However, instead of me sitting around saying the world's gone mad, I look at that and say,

561
00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:36,800
OK, here's an opportunity if we can introduce one, two, three, four of these people to God

562
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,960
and Jesus Christ and they can introduce one, two, three, four people.

563
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,600
Do you know why people attack Christians?

564
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:49,640
I'm going to give you the answer because we are not the most popular religion out there.

565
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,480
We are the minority.

566
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,760
There are there are more islams in the world than are our Christians.

567
00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:57,920
There are more Hindus than are our Christians.

568
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,920
So what sells in sales?

569
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:02,920
The masses.

570
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,720
Ain't it funny how everybody celebrates Christmas?

571
00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:06,720
Oh, yeah.

572
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:07,720
Yeah.

573
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,280
No, you never hear the atheists cry when they get Christmas off from working and have it

574
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:12,280
paid.

575
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:13,280
They'll decorate too.

576
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:14,280
I'm sure some do.

577
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:16,720
I'm going to take I'm sure I just never hear it.

578
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:17,720
Right.

579
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:21,440
My point being is it's funny how the whole world just started for that day.

580
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:22,440
But you know what?

581
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:27,200
No, listen, Ramadan, the only time I hear about Ramadan, it's on the news.

582
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:31,000
So my point being is so it's called benefits and burdens.

583
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:36,600
You can't have the benefits of being a Christian without the burden of responsibility of talking

584
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,880
to people about God and Jesus Christ.

585
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:44,400
So I'm involved in a group called Life Recovery and in April of this year, we're going to

586
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:49,960
do a conference with all like a lot of different pastors and priests and different things to

587
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:55,680
get these 12 step Christian based 12 step fellowship out to all areas and walks of life.

588
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,160
And I said to a couple of people in our life recovery, I said, you know, I already talked

589
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:06,000
to an Emon and, you know, a rabbi and they looked at me and said, Dom, this is Christ

590
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000
base.

591
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,000
I go, yep.

592
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,520
I don't have to tell them how to do their book.

593
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,280
I just have to tell them about Jesus Christ.

594
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:13,280
That's my job.

595
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,080
What they do with it from there is entirely up to them.

596
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:17,240
Plant the seed.

597
00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:18,240
Plant the seed.

598
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:22,400
And that's an I'm glad you said that because everybody says if you reap what you're going

599
00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:23,400
to reap what you sow.

600
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,720
If you don't like what you're reaping, sow something different.

601
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,280
And God's word doesn't return void.

602
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:30,280
That's right.

603
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:34,600
But let me say that again, if you don't like what you're reaping, sow something different.

604
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:41,000
If your life is, listen, if you're comfortable in your mediocrity, if your bills are paid

605
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,280
and you're food in your house and you're living abundantly, you don't want to listen

606
00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:46,280
to me.

607
00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,040
I got nothing for you.

608
00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:52,000
But if you're struggling like the rest of us, if you're tired of the pain and suffering

609
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,640
that people, human beings are causing in the world, sow something different.

610
00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,080
Talk to somebody about God and Jesus Christ.

611
00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:03,560
Somebody cut me off in traffic and then gave me the finger and I got out of the car and

612
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:07,480
I went over and I had one of my guys and he's looked to see what I was going to do.

613
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:12,000
You know, I'm a big guy, you know, and I can be intimidating if I want to be.

614
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,720
And I went over and I said, sir, are you suffering from a medical event?

615
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,000
He said, huh, sir, are you okay?

616
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:19,800
Are you suffering from a medical event?

617
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,760
Because that move leads me to believe that you're not well.

618
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,840
And my guy looked in the truck, he just looks at me.

619
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,240
He starts laughing when he gets, are you okay?

620
00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,160
Okay, just making sure.

621
00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:35,040
And he goes, well, man, I thought you were going to do something real bad to that guy.

622
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,200
I said, you know, what would that have changed?

623
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:42,360
If I let him pull me into that behavior, what would that have changed?

624
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:46,040
What I did was put him on notice to say, it's everything okay.

625
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:47,560
Can I pray for you?

626
00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:48,960
You know, you asked what would that have changed?

627
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,200
I'm going to go ahead and use your tagline.

628
00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:51,800
It could have changed everything.

629
00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,000
He could have brought the old dumb back and he could have forgot everything he trusted

630
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,520
Jesus for.

631
00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:01,560
I'm glad you said that, Josh, because I said earlier in this podcast, I hadn't had, you

632
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:05,400
know, it was 28 and a half years, but I've been cleaning sober for over 14 and a half

633
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:06,960
years at this point in time.

634
00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,760
And as long as I don't hurt somebody who's innocent, I don't have to then hurt myself.

635
00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:12,640
Let me qualify that for you.

636
00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,680
I don't take drugs and alcohol today because I don't hurt people, the wrong people.

637
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,560
Because when I hurt somebody else, the wrong person, Shelly, the next thing I do as an

638
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,000
addict and alcoholic is hurt myself.

639
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:27,720
So as long as I'm in the solution, I don't have to be the problem today.

640
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:28,720
Yeah.

641
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:35,200
You mentioned earlier before we got on that not every door that's opened has been opened

642
00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:36,600
by God for us to use.

643
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,360
That sometimes the enemy leaves the door.

644
00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:44,200
And I think things like that allude to how the enemy can try to open a door to cause

645
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:49,080
you to fall and not just a little bit, but to fall all the way.

646
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:53,440
It was a 28, but the devil meant for we were evil, God will turn for good for those who

647
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:54,440
love him.

648
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:55,440
Yes.

649
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,640
And I said that earlier in one of these things that were right.

650
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:03,120
God then opened the door for another man's wife to end up in my bed or for my wife to

651
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:04,880
end up in another man's bed.

652
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,840
God then opened a door with an abundance of money for me to run the casino and squander

653
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:10,000
it.

654
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,000
That's the devil.

655
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:16,360
God didn't have the guy show up with the good crack cocaine or the good alcohol or

656
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:17,560
the good heroin.

657
00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:23,560
I'm not into, but those aren't all by and for God things that you enjoyed at the time.

658
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,360
So I don't even want to say I enjoyed them.

659
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:29,240
That statement of enjoying them that went away early on.

660
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,200
Maybe some alcohol and I'm going to tell you what I enjoyed.

661
00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:33,280
Maybe not the alcohol.

662
00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,920
I enjoyed not having to be Dominic DeMarco for a short period of time.

663
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:44,320
I was able to numb that pain, but very quickly it stopped taking away the pain and the chemical

664
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:48,880
had to graduate to get the same result of removing that pain.

665
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:54,440
I had some surgeries about a year and a half ago and they gave me some pain medication

666
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,760
and I said to my doctor, she kept saying, you need more.

667
00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:58,760
I'm like, I'm good.

668
00:31:58,760 --> 00:31:59,760
I don't need it.

669
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:00,920
Don't get behind on this.

670
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,560
A lot of people get behind and then they get themselves in trouble.

671
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:11,320
I said, the physical pain that I'm in today is nowhere near the mental, spiritual or emotional

672
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,880
pain I'll be in if I start introducing chemicals into my body.

673
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,840
Now, was it the right decision?

674
00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:22,880
I liked to believe it was, but more importantly is there are worse things than death.

675
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:24,400
There really are.

676
00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:29,120
We just got through a pandemic here in this world and I don't want to say that it was

677
00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,360
political, but it was political and I'm not going to get into that.

678
00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:37,920
I'm just going to say it's funny how it was okay to leave Home Depot and Lowe's open,

679
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:39,880
but it wasn't okay to keep the church open.

680
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:40,880
Or Jens.

681
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:41,880
Right.

682
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:42,880
Stuff that'll keep you healthy.

683
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:43,880
Yeah, right.

684
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,400
I work in EMS and I can go ahead and tell you that everything you're saying is a hit,

685
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:48,400
not a miss.

686
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:49,400
Right.

687
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,680
And the other half of the coin is, am I disputing that there was a disease out there?

688
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:53,680
Not at all.

689
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,400
There was a disease out there that's killing people, but I believe that disease was man-made.

690
00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,240
It just didn't show up here one day.

691
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:05,560
Listen, it's 2024 and I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm a math guy.

692
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:09,040
And when two and two make three, something's missing.

693
00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,320
So with that statement, it's amazing.

694
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,320
The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

695
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:15,320
Well, you know, I'm in construction.

696
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:16,320
I'll build a dead man.

697
00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:18,120
We'll hold it back up.

698
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:19,120
Don't sit around and cry.

699
00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,880
You got one moment to tell me about the problem, Josh.

700
00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:23,600
The rest of the time, let's figure out the solution.

701
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,840
And the solution comes and through and by Jesus Christ.

702
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:28,840
That's it.

703
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,160
By his stripes, we are healed.

704
00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:36,640
There's people in the world who would rather sit around and scream about the problem than

705
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,400
accept the responsibility of the solution.

706
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:44,000
Doesn't send their message or tell their story in a light that shows them and their

707
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,000
best.

708
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:48,320
Remember when you were young, you had that, your first boyfriend and girlfriend and your

709
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,040
heart was broken.

710
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:54,360
But then your second relationship comes and it breaks up and it's a little easier to

711
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:55,880
navigate through.

712
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,760
And then, you know, the third relationship, maybe, maybe it's really to get along.

713
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:00,960
It was a physical thing.

714
00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:01,960
She's pretty.

715
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:02,960
He's cute.

716
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:03,960
Whatever.

717
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:07,840
But what does she learn to navigate through?

718
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,040
Well, COVID's the same way.

719
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:13,520
It's going to evolve.

720
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:14,920
You're going to evolve.

721
00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:16,720
And we are going to evolve.

722
00:34:16,720 --> 00:34:19,280
And it's a caterpillar and a butterfly.

723
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,320
We're in the cocoon.

724
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:28,480
And before Christ and after Christ in my life, I saw as a butterfly in Christ, the caterpillar

725
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:33,280
of this world, by and for this world, live in this world, not of this world or of this

726
00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:34,640
world, instead in this world.

727
00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,320
Yeah, it was staggering and it was taxing.

728
00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:42,560
It weighed me down, living by man's law, man's rules.

729
00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,640
I like my life with God in my life today.

730
00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:46,400
You know, it's completely different.

731
00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,960
We were talking earlier and we showed, I showed you a couple of pictures, one of my arrest

732
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:52,960
photos from like 1996.

733
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:54,800
And it wasn't very flattering.

734
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:55,800
Come on.

735
00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,080
No, you're much better in person than you were in that photo.

736
00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:00,080
Thank you.

737
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:01,240
But the reality, that's him.

738
00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:03,240
We were all created in his image.

739
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:05,760
So I just preached this a few weeks ago.

740
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:08,720
So when you walk in and you see something, there's something about that person.

741
00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:12,800
You said earlier, when you met Shelly, there was something about her.

742
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,600
You know, when you said, when you saw him, that's the relationship with God and Jesus

743
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,480
Christ and being open-minded enough to invite him in.

744
00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,880
We hide behind that wall.

745
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:24,280
We're not just keeping the world out.

746
00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,680
We become a prisoner from within.

747
00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:33,040
And there's a freedom that lives and grows inside of us.

748
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,080
I started to say it earlier, but we got sidetracked.

749
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:37,640
But Pastor Pete, very good dear friend of mine.

750
00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:44,000
Yeah, we were doing a class between the two groups here at church and he said something

751
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:47,680
about, well, what's bigger, your faith or your fear?

752
00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:48,840
And I said, my face bigger.

753
00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:50,280
It's got five letters, not four.

754
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,800
And he looked at me with a scowl.

755
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:58,320
But the reality is, what's bigger, my faith or my fear?

756
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,400
It depends on which one I cultivate.

757
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:01,400
Which one I feed.

758
00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:06,720
It's like that old proverb about the two wolves, you know, the good wolf and the bad wolf.

759
00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:07,840
For which one's bigger?

760
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:08,840
The one you feed.

761
00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:09,840
One you feed.

762
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:16,040
So, you know, as we navigate through today and we navigate through 2024, I got to tell

763
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,560
you, the best is yet to come.

764
00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:23,800
This is the, listen, it's not about what happens here on earth in 2024.

765
00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:28,640
It's about the seeds we plant and those we cultivate to see where this is going to grow.

766
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:33,320
If you want a better world for you and your children, start cultivating a better world,

767
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:37,240
you know, instead of sitting around and complaining about the neighbor who does this, maybe doesn't

768
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:42,400
cut their grass, does this, does that, or whatever, try reaching out and putting yourself

769
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:43,840
in their shoes.

770
00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:45,840
Ask them, what can I do to help?

771
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:50,280
I did an exercise at church and I put a gentleman on one side of the room and a gentleman on

772
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:52,680
the other side of the room and I said, what do you see?

773
00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:53,680
And they told me what they see.

774
00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:56,760
And I said to them, the guys after us, do you see that?

775
00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:57,760
He goes, no.

776
00:36:57,760 --> 00:36:58,760
I said, do you see that?

777
00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:00,800
No, I said, here, change places.

778
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:06,680
So instead of sitting around and arguing over your opinion or my opinion or how you see

779
00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:11,800
something, try putting yourself in that person's position.

780
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:17,680
It'll help you understand maybe why they think the way they think, maybe why they're acting

781
00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:19,440
the way they act.

782
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:25,960
But more so, it'll also help you understand how you can help them navigate out, what steps

783
00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,960
you need to take to help them get through whatever they're going through.

784
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:36,680
Because at the end of the day, there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament.

785
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:41,640
There's 1,050 in the New Testament, but it all comes down to these two.

786
00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:44,840
Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and soul.

787
00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:50,360
And love one another as I have loved you.

788
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:56,520
So if you want to learn something really special today, spend some time with your dog.

789
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:57,760
I heard you talking about your dogs.

790
00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,560
I just got a new puppy a few weeks ago.

791
00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,440
And he is my guy.

792
00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:03,360
His name is Bandit because he steals hearts.

793
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:06,240
He also steals shoes and food.

794
00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:11,960
He reaffirms to me every single day the greatest gift that God's given us, and that's unconditional

795
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:12,960
love.

796
00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:18,240
So why can't as human beings, we learn to love one another as the way God has, the way Jesus

797
00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:20,960
loved us, and unconditionally.

798
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:25,080
The minute we start putting conditions on our love for someone, I love you as long as

799
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:26,920
you're 120 pounds.

800
00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:32,120
Well, you know, honey, you know, my thyroid's acting up and this happened.

801
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:33,120
And I went through some stuff.

802
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:34,480
I'm 175 pounds.

803
00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:38,880
Now, now they're getting divorced and he's looking at the secretary or this and that.

804
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:43,400
Instead of them communicating and navigating through the problem, their unconditional love

805
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:45,040
has what?

806
00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:46,040
Conditions.

807
00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,840
And it goes, love one another as I have loved you.

808
00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:54,560
Well, I'm leaving my husband or my wife because she's an active alcoholic or an addict.

809
00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:55,560
Isn't that in sickness and health?

810
00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:58,760
And wasn't that one of the things we talked about before we got married?

811
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:00,600
How about loving them back to health?

812
00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:05,320
See as a woman, Shelly, you need to feel loved.

813
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,520
We told Josh, hey, listen, Josh, take out the trash.

814
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:09,840
Hey, I'm going to get that right after this play.

815
00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:13,200
I'm going to take that trash out and he forgets.

816
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:15,320
You wake up and say, he doesn't love me.

817
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,200
He didn't take the trash out.

818
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:19,640
When that's not true, he just forgot.

819
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,520
And Josh, you need to feel respected.

820
00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:24,720
She needs to feel loved and you need to feel respected.

821
00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:30,280
So, you know, when you say you come home, you say it was a hard day's work and I'm hungry,

822
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:31,480
there's nothing on the table to eat.

823
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,360
But she was taking care of stuff at her job today too.

824
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:37,440
Nothing stops us from doing, doing two rules here.

825
00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:42,960
But I just feel disrespected instead of communicating that we live in a world where it's easier

826
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:49,400
to go online and look at a social media site or maybe text pictures of our body back and

827
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:50,400
forth.

828
00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:55,240
Listen, you know why relationships lasted so long a hundred years ago?

829
00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:56,240
There's no social media.

830
00:39:56,240 --> 00:39:58,040
There's no social media.

831
00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:00,760
You know, we went through a class about love and respect.

832
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:01,760
I love that book.

833
00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:03,000
Just so you know.

834
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,760
We could tell that you read it or had heard of it.

835
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,200
And there's another book I'm going to talk about when I'm done here too.

836
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,560
It's a vicious cycle because when you feel unloved, you're going to show disrespect.

837
00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:15,320
When you feel disrespected, you're going to show acting on loving ways.

838
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:19,560
And one of the tips that we learned from that, you know, the men speak the blue language,

839
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,320
the women speak the pink.

840
00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:23,080
And sometimes you need to reset.

841
00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:29,000
And sometimes if I'm feeling unloved, I need to say I'm feeling a little unloved and this,

842
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,680
you know, and then say what could be different.

843
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:35,000
And then, you know, he'll say, I'm feeling a little disrespected.

844
00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:37,600
Did I do something to make you feel unloved?

845
00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:42,080
And when you put it that way, it kind of changes things and opens up that conversation to get

846
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:43,680
back on track a little bit.

847
00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:50,880
What I find is funny, not ha ha, but peculiar is how you can speak to each other before

848
00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:53,360
you get deeply involved in a relationship.

849
00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,920
And something you say that's a quip is funny.

850
00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:58,840
And then he said, again, when you're deep in a relationship and it's taken the wrong

851
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:00,600
way every time.

852
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:06,600
And I think that comes from a place from a lot of people that have experienced not unconditional

853
00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:08,240
love when they were younger.

854
00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:10,120
And so they assume that you can't love them.

855
00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:13,880
So they assume the wrong way every single time.

856
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:20,200
And that puts such a challenge on our relationship with the father because we assume that he loves

857
00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:24,600
us but not in an unconditional way that I need to please him in some way.

858
00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:25,600
Right.

859
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:26,840
And we can read it all day long.

860
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,080
Hey, while we were still sinners, he gave his son for us.

861
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:31,080
Right.

862
00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:35,720
We could read all day long how he meets us where we are, not where we ought to be because

863
00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:37,640
he sees this finished work.

864
00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:42,760
But it's so hard to wrap your brain around that when you have suffered some kind of trauma.

865
00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:48,120
And I think a married couple has an edge on single people in that they can lift each other

866
00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:52,480
up and reaffirm that unconditional love when practiced correctly.

867
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:53,480
When practiced correctly.

868
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:54,560
Hey, I'm glad you said that.

869
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:55,560
That's amazing.

870
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,440
That's a great vision.

871
00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:59,560
And I can see what you're saying.

872
00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:03,600
There's another book out there, Sam's Wife, Amy helped me with this.

873
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:07,480
She, when debt passed away, I didn't have any of these skills.

874
00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:11,160
I, you know, I built a building like a son of a gun, but you know what I mean, but it's

875
00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:13,200
for these personal things we're talking about now.

876
00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:17,160
These would have been uncomfortable for me five, 10, 20 years ago.

877
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:19,880
But I got myself some good grief counseling.

878
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:25,080
And when I started dating, even though I didn't have an issue, I did couples counseling.

879
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:30,440
And then when I broke up in that relationship, I did 16 couples therapy sessions alone because

880
00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:36,720
I wanted to not carry the skeletons from my past into a future relationship.

881
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:38,920
But Amy gave me this book.

882
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,600
It's called the five languages of love.

883
00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:43,360
And it's an amazing book.

884
00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:49,520
And it led me in another direction to the five languages of apology.

885
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:54,400
So as a couple, it's written by Henry Claude, same author.

886
00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:58,560
But basically this is a correct apology.

887
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:04,280
I'm sorry for the action that I did, whatever it was and how it affected you.

888
00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:08,120
I promise you I will do everything in my power so it doesn't happen again.

889
00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:10,640
What can I do to make it right?

890
00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:12,480
That's one way of saying I'm sorry.

891
00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:14,320
Listen, I'm sorry.

892
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:15,320
You sure are.

893
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:18,120
Most of the time you have no idea what you did wrong.

894
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:19,120
Oh, yeah, it's me.

895
00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:20,240
Yeah, I never know.

896
00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:25,200
So until you can identify with the, you can't change what we don't acknowledge.

897
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:29,840
We have to be able to identify what the problem is to help navigate through that solution.

898
00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:32,800
And our relationship with God and Jesus Christ is just that.

899
00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,000
So when people say, how do I get a relationship with God?

900
00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:37,760
How do I get a relationship with Jesus Christ today?

901
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,160
Well, how did you get a relationship with your wife?

902
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:41,920
You cultivated it.

903
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:43,960
How'd you get a relationship with your son?

904
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:44,960
You cultivated it.

905
00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:47,720
How'd you get a relationship with your parents?

906
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:48,720
They cultivated it.

907
00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:51,160
You know, it starts with desire, right?

908
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:53,600
I desire a relationship, but I want to know who you are.

909
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:54,600
That's right.

910
00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:56,440
I want to know what that burning desire in your heart.

911
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,320
And then you have to ask questions because I don't know who you are.

912
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:03,040
I know that I like what I see, but I don't know who I'm talking to.

913
00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:04,920
So for the start, what's your name?

914
00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:06,280
How do you like to be called?

915
00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:07,280
Right.

916
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:08,280
Right.

917
00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,360
And you can do the dumb questions with your favorite color or what do you like to eat,

918
00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:11,360
right?

919
00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:13,400
Or you can be more engaged and say, so what do you do for a living?

920
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:16,480
You know, how do you spend your time when you're not at work?

921
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:20,120
What are some of the things you like to do and find out what the common ground is?

922
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,620
How about this?

923
00:44:21,620 --> 00:44:23,440
How are you doing today?

924
00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,880
What's the best part of your day today?

925
00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:28,880
Other than talking to me.

926
00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:29,880
Right.

927
00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:34,120
Well, listen, what was the most challenging part of your day today?

928
00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:37,600
And what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen together to happen again?

929
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:42,320
So listen, I believe the strongest relationships, whether it's with a man and a woman, whether

930
00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:46,960
it's with a father or a child, a mother or her children, brothers and sisters, friends

931
00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,360
at work, coworkers, whatever, relationships are all the same.

932
00:44:50,360 --> 00:44:56,000
Just the parties change, the labels change, the rights, the duties, the responsibilities,

933
00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:58,240
they remain the same.

934
00:44:58,240 --> 00:45:00,640
Just the dynamic of the relationship changes.

935
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:01,840
And some are deeper.

936
00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:06,360
I loved my wife differently than I loved my children and my parents, but I love them all.

937
00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:08,640
So it's what I said earlier.

938
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:11,200
It's exercising that relationship.

939
00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:17,120
It's exercising the muscle of that relationship so that we are constantly growing and making

940
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:20,720
it stronger, not doing things that will undermine and tear it down.

941
00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:23,840
And my relationship with God and Jesus Christ is exactly that.

942
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,560
What am I doing today to exercise that relationship?

943
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:32,400
Before I leave my house every day, I tell my partner this, I tell her, I say, listen,

944
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:33,680
I love you.

945
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:35,080
And this is why.

946
00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:37,520
I'm really proud of you.

947
00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:38,520
And this is why.

948
00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:40,120
And I don't do it quite this way.

949
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:41,120
I do it a little differently.

950
00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:42,240
Like I'm really proud of you today.

951
00:45:42,240 --> 00:45:44,760
Like you were able to get up and comb your hair.

952
00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:49,320
I'm using it as an example, but it's just it's a joke, but something.

953
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:54,480
And that no matter what this world throws at us, we'll get through it together.

954
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:59,280
And I found when I do that with God at 430 in the morning, God, I don't know what today's

955
00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:01,360
going to throw at us, but it's me and you.

956
00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:02,760
We're going to get through it together.

957
00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:04,760
You know, God, hey, listen, I'm sorry.

958
00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:08,880
Most days I could say, I want to wake up and I don't hear God say, hey, Don, great job

959
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:09,880
on them.

960
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:10,880
100 tasks yesterday.

961
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:15,640
I wake up and I hear God, the devil say, Hey, you did good on that 99, but I got you

962
00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:18,240
on that one and I'll be waiting out there again today.

963
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:22,880
And that's why I say, Hey, listen, don't you think I want to run around saying, why me?

964
00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:23,880
This is my God.

965
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:24,880
Go ahead.

966
00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:25,880
Try me.

967
00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:26,880
You can't take away what you didn't provide.

968
00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:30,160
I thought you were going to say something clever like, yeah, what God's going to come

969
00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:31,160
for that one.

970
00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:32,160
Yeah, that's right.

971
00:46:32,160 --> 00:46:33,160
Well, no, we're good.

972
00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:38,240
Listen, he knows because listen, if you know anything about exercise, if you don't work

973
00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:40,680
for it, you don't appreciate it.

974
00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:45,000
And that relationship with God and Jesus Christ is just that we have to appreciate it.

975
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:49,560
Am I walking around with an attitude she has more than I have or he has more than I have.

976
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:51,880
He has a pretty nicer car, a prettier wife.

977
00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:52,880
He has more money in the bank.

978
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:53,880
His job is better than mine.

979
00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:56,320
Am I saying thank you God for what I got?

980
00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,040
Is it my am I having a walk around with an attitude?

981
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:00,920
Or am I thanking him with gratitude?

982
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:01,920
What do I want?

983
00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:05,680
Honestly, what do you need that you don't have?

984
00:47:05,680 --> 00:47:06,680
There's nothing.

985
00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:09,160
Well, I mean, probably a new place to rent.

986
00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:10,160
But that's okay.

987
00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:11,160
Yeah, that's there.

988
00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:13,280
So I'm completely content.

989
00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:16,000
I'm unfazed, unbothered.

990
00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:20,040
It's another opportunity for me to continue to shine through and show the love of God

991
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:23,520
to other people by our demeanor and our actions.

992
00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:30,000
I really feel that a lot of Christians, they stop where they are saved, right?

993
00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:32,920
Jesus Christ God died for them.

994
00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:37,400
And being wonderful news that it is, most Christians stop there and they don't understand

995
00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:38,720
that they're still in this cage.

996
00:47:38,720 --> 00:47:42,880
The door is unlocked, but they're still in the cage because they're comfortable.

997
00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:46,080
And you're speaking about all this stuff on the outside, right?

998
00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:49,040
That we have a kingdom that we're inherited, that we're called in the very near presence

999
00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:51,080
of God, that we're called as sons and daughters.

1000
00:47:51,080 --> 00:47:53,560
We're adopted into this, right?

1001
00:47:53,560 --> 00:47:57,200
And that we're called in the Great Commission to represent God Almighty.

1002
00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:01,360
And this is where a lot of the problems come up in our world that people hate Christians

1003
00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:07,360
is because people poorly represent God and people will blame God for the actions of poor

1004
00:48:07,360 --> 00:48:08,360
representation.

1005
00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:09,800
And it's not on God.

1006
00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:13,480
And then the best part is that we don't go alone.

1007
00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:19,320
That Jesus says, Hey, if you let me, I will come into you and I will love the loss that

1008
00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:20,320
you can't love.

1009
00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:22,120
And I will love the broken that you can't love.

1010
00:48:22,120 --> 00:48:26,320
And I will give you the fortitude to go through this that you can't muster because I am better

1011
00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:27,320
than you.

1012
00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:32,960
And then when he starts doing or acting as himself through us, then he's imitating God.

1013
00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:35,080
And he's really good at that, right?

1014
00:48:35,080 --> 00:48:39,080
But if we try to do it, we're not very good at it and we'll break, crumble, we'll fall,

1015
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:41,600
we mess up and then we ask God, why did this happen this way?

1016
00:48:41,600 --> 00:48:44,120
Because we're trying to do God's job.

1017
00:48:44,120 --> 00:48:47,840
All we have to do is allow the impartation of Jesus Christ to overtake our life.

1018
00:48:47,840 --> 00:48:48,840
I'm glad you said that, Josh.

1019
00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,320
You know the biggest difference between us and God?

1020
00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:54,840
He didn't wake up this morning and said, Hey, let's act like Josh had dawned today.

1021
00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:55,840
You know what I mean?

1022
00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:57,560
So why would we try to act like him?

1023
00:48:57,560 --> 00:49:00,400
You know, and something else you said was really powerful.

1024
00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:02,840
Every day is a new opportunity.

1025
00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:07,600
You know, what you don't know is that it's all about the seasons.

1026
00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:11,720
And you know, you made a joke earlier about finding a new place to rent.

1027
00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:14,720
You have no idea what God has in store for you.

1028
00:49:14,720 --> 00:49:15,720
He may have.

1029
00:49:15,720 --> 00:49:16,720
It's going to be a great story though.

1030
00:49:16,720 --> 00:49:17,720
Amen.

1031
00:49:17,720 --> 00:49:18,720
But here's the best part.

1032
00:49:18,720 --> 00:49:22,720
Listen, again, what Satan meant for you, God will turn for good.

1033
00:49:22,720 --> 00:49:26,920
There's a season and he hasn't revealed it yet to you, but he's going to do something

1034
00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:27,920
amazing.

1035
00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:30,640
There's somebody that God needs you to intersect in their lives.

1036
00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:34,680
See, not everybody starts this journey and ends this journey with us.

1037
00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:39,240
So most people are here for a season or two or three.

1038
00:49:39,240 --> 00:49:44,480
My last relapse is when my mom passed away because I was mad at God.

1039
00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:49,160
And I remember going to therapy and I, grief therapy.

1040
00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:52,280
And I said, you know, like they talked about having a relationship because I said, I had

1041
00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:56,240
a relationship called I did this and I did this and I did this and I did this.

1042
00:49:56,240 --> 00:49:58,200
And I remember the therapist looking at me.

1043
00:49:58,200 --> 00:50:01,520
She said, well, nobody gets out of this thing alive.

1044
00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:04,360
You know, I've heard you talk about your mom and she's not suffering anymore.

1045
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:09,920
I said, yeah, but I'm just mad because I wish I had had more time and this and that.

1046
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:13,360
And she says, you know, God can handle your anger.

1047
00:50:13,360 --> 00:50:15,720
I'm also working for you.

1048
00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:22,560
So in something else you said there, you said about, you know, religion will let us down.

1049
00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:23,800
Spiritual, I'm not a religious man.

1050
00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:25,280
I'm a spiritual man.

1051
00:50:25,280 --> 00:50:27,120
Religion pushes us apart.

1052
00:50:27,120 --> 00:50:28,760
Religion brings us together.

1053
00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:35,320
So with that being said, if you think that you have a right to be mad at religion, think

1054
00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:36,400
about Jesus Christ.

1055
00:50:36,400 --> 00:50:39,920
It was the religious Pharisees that killed him.

1056
00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:41,440
Yeah, religion killed Jesus.

1057
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:42,440
That's right.

1058
00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:46,360
So if he forgave them, why can't we?

1059
00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:53,160
See a lot of people want to hold on to their V card, their victim card.

1060
00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:55,160
Poor me.

1061
00:50:55,160 --> 00:50:56,160
Poor me.

1062
00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:58,000
Hey, pour me a drink.

1063
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,440
Hey, pour me a pile of cocaine on the table.

1064
00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:02,560
Hey, pour me some fentanyl.

1065
00:51:02,560 --> 00:51:09,280
Listen, I'll show you, I'll hurt me.

1066
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:10,760
Hurt people hurt people.

1067
00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:12,640
You heard that statement all the time.

1068
00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:15,120
Well, we're going to change that starting today.

1069
00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:16,920
Healing people heal people.

1070
00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:22,360
I refuse to give the devil a key to this house when you don't have one to his own.

1071
00:51:22,360 --> 00:51:27,200
And that reminds me of a phrase, if it breaks God's heart, why do we think it will fulfill

1072
00:51:27,200 --> 00:51:28,200
ours?

1073
00:51:28,200 --> 00:51:32,640
I think that's something to really hold on to with that.

1074
00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:35,320
Oftentimes, we seek personal enjoyment.

1075
00:51:35,320 --> 00:51:36,960
What we think is enjoyment.

1076
00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,360
We seek something to fill a hole in our lives.

1077
00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:43,000
And Shelly has experience in this and she has a little phrase that she likes to say

1078
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:47,160
that she would do certain things to fill an H-O-L-E hole in her life.

1079
00:51:47,160 --> 00:51:50,280
And then she had a relationship with Jesus and he made her W-H-O-L-L.

1080
00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:52,000
There you go.

1081
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:58,480
And I think a lot of us strive, especially in today's world, with trying to feel accepted

1082
00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:04,040
so much so that we miss our God-given right of acceptance that's right before us.

1083
00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:05,040
You know what?

1084
00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:06,040
You said this.

1085
00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:07,040
Say them words again.

1086
00:52:07,040 --> 00:52:08,040
Say it again.

1087
00:52:08,040 --> 00:52:09,040
We miss our God-given right.

1088
00:52:09,040 --> 00:52:10,040
So that is our inheritance.

1089
00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:12,920
So, you know, we live in a world where everybody's like, what did you, what did you, you know,

1090
00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:15,240
so and so passed away with their parents leave them?

1091
00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:21,320
Well, your God, your father gave you an inheritance and it's yours.

1092
00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:24,000
All you have to do is say yes.

1093
00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:25,760
All you have to do is invite him in.

1094
00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:27,560
You have to claim it.

1095
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:28,560
Claim it.

1096
00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:29,560
You can walk away.

1097
00:52:29,560 --> 00:52:30,560
Absolutely.

1098
00:52:30,560 --> 00:52:31,560
You can want nothing to do with it.

1099
00:52:31,560 --> 00:52:32,560
That's right.

1100
00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:33,560
But that sounds foolish to me.

1101
00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:34,560
Me too.

1102
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:35,560
But that's just this two guys' opinion.

1103
00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:41,960
And you think about where your life is today and where it's going.

1104
00:52:41,960 --> 00:52:46,720
I may not know where he's taken me, but I know where he's taken me from.

1105
00:52:46,720 --> 00:52:51,960
You know, God didn't open up the doors to heaven and let me in, but he did open up the

1106
00:52:51,960 --> 00:52:54,480
doors to hell and let me out.

1107
00:52:54,480 --> 00:53:00,040
Yeah, I'm at that point in my life where I don't know where he's taken me.

1108
00:53:00,040 --> 00:53:02,720
And I like the ride, so I'm okay with it.

1109
00:53:02,720 --> 00:53:03,720
Right.

1110
00:53:03,720 --> 00:53:04,720
It's quite the adventure.

1111
00:53:04,720 --> 00:53:05,720
My goodness.

1112
00:53:05,720 --> 00:53:06,720
What are you like?

1113
00:53:06,720 --> 00:53:07,720
How can you not want a road trip with God?

1114
00:53:07,720 --> 00:53:08,720
Like, where are we going?

1115
00:53:08,720 --> 00:53:10,400
How could you not want him with you?

1116
00:53:10,400 --> 00:53:13,000
You know, we were, we took a road trip yesterday at the Cleveland.

1117
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:18,040
I had to go see a dentist, some stuff I'm going to have done and it was me and Sam and

1118
00:53:18,040 --> 00:53:21,920
Amy and Dawn and we were, and we hit the puppy for the road because we're going to take him

1119
00:53:21,920 --> 00:53:24,800
to Florida with me in a couple of weeks when I go.

1120
00:53:24,800 --> 00:53:26,480
And I wanted to see if he could tolerate the trip.

1121
00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:28,320
And it was a spiritual base.

1122
00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:30,440
We didn't have one song on the radio.

1123
00:53:30,440 --> 00:53:34,880
We sat around and we talked about God and where he was in our lives and our relationships

1124
00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:37,320
and what we could do to be better people.

1125
00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:42,040
You know, there wasn't gossip and innuendo about, did you hear what he did and she did

1126
00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:43,040
and blah, blah, blah.

1127
00:53:43,040 --> 00:53:48,120
It was, you know, it was more so, hey, listen, look at the growth in this person and what

1128
00:53:48,120 --> 00:53:51,160
can we do to cultivate them to help them get to the next level?

1129
00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:55,400
And I got home last night and I was sitting there and I, every day I do this inventory.

1130
00:53:55,400 --> 00:53:58,360
You know, what's the best part of my day, worst part of my day, you know, what, what

1131
00:53:58,360 --> 00:53:59,560
could I've done differently?

1132
00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:01,320
You know, did I, did I miss an opportunity?

1133
00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:05,960
I'd rather be burned and screwed over 99 times and miss that one person and God puts in our

1134
00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:07,640
life to try to help.

1135
00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:13,440
And yesterday I was sitting there about 9.30 at night going, it was a pretty God day.

1136
00:54:13,440 --> 00:54:15,400
I didn't say a good day.

1137
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:20,160
It was a God day because every God day is a good day.

1138
00:54:20,160 --> 00:54:21,160
Oh yes.

1139
00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:22,160
Oh yes.

1140
00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:23,160
Agreed.

1141
00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:27,280
Dominic, it was a, it was a really great having you on.

1142
00:54:27,280 --> 00:54:30,520
And as Shelly stated earlier, the more she gets to know you, the more she really likes

1143
00:54:30,520 --> 00:54:31,520
you.

1144
00:54:31,520 --> 00:54:32,880
I mean, I absolutely in love with you.

1145
00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:35,040
You are just a personality.

1146
00:54:35,040 --> 00:54:39,000
You are every bit on the outside or on the inside, what you portray on the outside.

1147
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:41,480
You are every bit the person, a man of God.

1148
00:54:41,480 --> 00:54:47,080
I remember we had a, there was a concert here and we, a young man outside and I was talking

1149
00:54:47,080 --> 00:54:52,200
to him and you came out unashamed, just started tag team loving this guy.

1150
00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:55,720
And I just really appreciate your heart that you have for Jesus.

1151
00:54:55,720 --> 00:55:00,760
I appreciate, especially knowing where you came from, you know, you came from organized

1152
00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:02,880
or disorganized crime.

1153
00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:08,600
And you've been shot a couple of times in the line of, of the misduty and you are in

1154
00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:14,640
a place now that is so far from that life that it seems unreal that it could possibly

1155
00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:20,600
be like you are literally a different human being completely utterly and without fail,

1156
00:55:20,600 --> 00:55:23,560
another human being on this earth that God has blessed us with.

1157
00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:30,000
And I, I for one, am really, really grateful for a man of your caliber to be in the kingdom.

1158
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:31,000
Thank you.

1159
00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:34,160
I can start off by saying thank you for the human side of that, but that's, that's not

1160
00:55:34,160 --> 00:55:35,160
me.

1161
00:55:35,160 --> 00:55:37,080
That's all buying for him.

1162
00:55:37,080 --> 00:55:44,800
See, he had to take me through that road, that, that, that hell and, and bring me out

1163
00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:46,760
as a testimony to his grace and mercy.

1164
00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:50,080
So people could look and say, if it could happen with Dom, if it could happen with Shelly,

1165
00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:52,960
if it could happen with Josh, it could happen to you.

1166
00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:57,320
You know, somebody said, I just heard somebody got a new convertible and they said, somebody

1167
00:55:57,320 --> 00:55:59,240
said, I want that car.

1168
00:55:59,240 --> 00:56:01,480
I said, then do what he did.

1169
00:56:01,480 --> 00:56:02,480
Huh?

1170
00:56:02,480 --> 00:56:04,440
Then do what he did.

1171
00:56:04,440 --> 00:56:08,680
If you want what we have to offer and you're willing to make any effort to get it, then

1172
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:10,640
you ready to take some certain steps.

1173
00:56:10,640 --> 00:56:12,840
And one of them is to have that relationship with God.

1174
00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:18,200
If you want what I have in my life today, mentally, physically, financially, spiritually,

1175
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:22,480
emotionally, materially, then build that relationship with God and Jesus Christ because

1176
00:56:22,480 --> 00:56:23,480
none of it's mine.

1177
00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:24,480
It's all his.

1178
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:25,480
Hmm.

1179
00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:26,480
See, Kim first.

1180
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:28,000
And, and, and you know what?

1181
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:30,400
Be a good steward.

1182
00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:34,120
Somebody said to me recently, they said, you know, you're kindness and generosity.

1183
00:56:34,120 --> 00:56:35,120
It's not me.

1184
00:56:35,120 --> 00:56:37,280
I'm a naturally selfish person.

1185
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:42,520
It's bred into us, but I can be selfish or I can be selfless.

1186
00:56:42,520 --> 00:56:46,960
I can be God fearing and still be God knowing.

1187
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:52,600
The love I have for my God and his son, Jesus Christ is the love he had for me.

1188
00:56:52,600 --> 00:56:55,600
It's unconditional.

1189
00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:59,720
So if you want a conditional life, I ain't your guy.

1190
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:01,680
Shelly, you're not the girl.

1191
00:57:01,680 --> 00:57:03,760
Josh, you're not the guy.

1192
00:57:03,760 --> 00:57:08,000
But if you want an unconditional relationship with the God of your understanding, by all

1193
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:09,840
means do what we do.

1194
00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:10,840
Come join us.

1195
00:57:10,840 --> 00:57:15,160
I, you know, I said it earlier when we weren't on the show, you know, I, somebody said to

1196
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:19,360
me, well, that doesn't sound very Christian like, well, which church do you go to?

1197
00:57:19,360 --> 00:57:20,560
Maybe I'm reading that scripture wrong.

1198
00:57:20,560 --> 00:57:21,880
Let's read it together.

1199
00:57:21,880 --> 00:57:23,880
I look at that as an opportunity.

1200
00:57:23,880 --> 00:57:26,800
I find actually most non-Christians feel that we're perfect.

1201
00:57:26,800 --> 00:57:30,360
I had somebody say to me, does your church give away free turkeys?

1202
00:57:30,360 --> 00:57:32,080
I said, I don't know.

1203
00:57:32,080 --> 00:57:33,640
I've never, I've never been part of that.

1204
00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:37,560
But, but, but hey, I could check into it.

1205
00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:38,560
Why don't you come on out?

1206
00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:39,560
Oh, I just want the free turkey.

1207
00:57:39,560 --> 00:57:42,560
I said, well, doesn't your church give away free turkeys?

1208
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:45,200
Well, I don't go to church.

1209
00:57:45,200 --> 00:57:47,680
Maybe if you went to church, you wouldn't need a free turkey.

1210
00:57:47,680 --> 00:57:52,080
But if you came to my church, I promise you someone get you a turkey.

1211
00:57:52,080 --> 00:57:53,080
For sure.

1212
00:57:53,080 --> 00:57:56,000
If you have a life with Christ, then you got to be Christ like.

1213
00:57:56,000 --> 00:57:58,320
And that sounds hard.

1214
00:57:58,320 --> 00:58:00,440
And it is hard in your own strength.

1215
00:58:00,440 --> 00:58:01,440
Amen.

1216
00:58:01,440 --> 00:58:05,920
But if you allow him, as I said earlier, from Jesus to overtake your life, it works.

1217
00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:08,200
I know we're running out of time, but there's something I want to say.

1218
00:58:08,200 --> 00:58:11,720
Hey, listen, this is the easiest relationship you're ever going to have.

1219
00:58:11,720 --> 00:58:14,160
If you invite him in, he comes in.

1220
00:58:14,160 --> 00:58:16,640
If you ask him to leave, he walks away.

1221
00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:19,040
How many times do you try to get out of a bad relationship?

1222
00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:20,400
A toxic relationship?

1223
00:58:20,400 --> 00:58:21,400
They never go away.

1224
00:58:21,400 --> 00:58:25,200
But if I invite God and Jesus Christ into my life, he comes in.

1225
00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:27,400
If I ask him to leave, he goes away.

1226
00:58:27,400 --> 00:58:31,880
We didn't have shootings in the courthouse when we had the Ten Commandments there and

1227
00:58:31,880 --> 00:58:33,360
we had God in there.

1228
00:58:33,360 --> 00:58:36,120
We didn't have many shootings in the school when we had God in there.

1229
00:58:36,120 --> 00:58:38,120
You ask him to leave, he went away.

1230
00:58:38,120 --> 00:58:40,160
I would rethink that position.

1231
00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:41,160
Absolutely.

1232
00:58:41,160 --> 00:58:42,280
Not that I know a whole lot.

1233
00:58:42,280 --> 00:58:43,280
I do know this.

1234
00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:45,680
I'm going to keep God in my circle.

1235
00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:47,560
My life's a whole lot safer.

1236
00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:48,880
Absolutely.

1237
00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:53,960
And with that, we thank you for listening to us and letting the Holy Spirit guide this

1238
00:58:53,960 --> 00:58:55,720
conversation.

1239
00:58:55,720 --> 00:58:59,840
And with that, I would like to say that we have a fundraising campaign that helps us

1240
00:58:59,840 --> 00:59:04,120
with the audio expenses because we do not edit this ourselves.

1241
00:59:04,120 --> 00:59:05,560
We have a professional that helps.

1242
00:59:05,560 --> 00:59:06,560
It's not our gifting.

1243
00:59:06,560 --> 00:59:08,080
Goodness, no.

1244
00:59:08,080 --> 00:59:09,840
And so it does not bring us joy.

1245
00:59:09,840 --> 00:59:14,360
So with that, if you go to gifsango.com and look up God's goodness podcast, you can make

1246
00:59:14,360 --> 00:59:24,880
a donation there and we would greatly appreciate the help and we'll talk to you next time.