It Is Written

From Grief To Grace

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001215


00:02 JOHN: You've heard the stories, like that of Job,
00:04 who in the Bible had everything a man could want, and then
00:07 he lost it, all suddenly and tragically.
00:11 What happens, though when those Bible stories get out of
00:15 the pages of the Bible and find their way into
00:17 the lives of everyday people?
00:19 I'm here in "Everywhere USA" it could be where you live, regular
00:23 people, living regular lives.
00:26 And it's here where I'm going to speak with Karen Johnson, whose
00:30 life was struck by terrible, random tragedy, but then God
00:36 turned that into triumph, through the power of his grace.
00:40 ♪♪♪(Theme Music)♪♪♪ It has stood the test of time.
00:51 God's Book, the Bible.
00:56 Still relevant in today's complex world.
01:01 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe.
01:17 JOHN: Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with
01:19 me today.
01:20 KAREN: You're welcome.
01:21 JOHN: It had been a perfect day.
01:23 Your husband John and yourself had had a great day, and then,
01:26 and then in the evening...
01:29 KAREN: In the evening we decided that we were going to go out on
01:31 our date night.
01:32 We hadn't had a date night in quite sometime and I was very,
01:35 very excited.
01:37 I had just got my hair done the day before, and we decided that
01:40 we were going to do three things.
01:41 We we going to go out to a restaurant to eat first, because
01:45 I told him I was hungry, then from there we were going to go
01:49 to a friend's house and we were going to spend some time
01:51 with a friend.
01:51 And then we were going to cap it off by going to my
01:53 mother's house.
01:54 She had just had her birthday, four days prior to Saturday, and
01:58 we hadn't seen her.
02:00 And so that was the plan.
02:02 JOHN: So things re going great, what, what happened later
02:05 on that evening?
02:06 KAREN: As we drove out of our particular development, we got
02:10 out into the main street, which is called Gruesville.
02:12 We headed on down Gruesville, and he told me to pick the
02:16 restaurant, and so, Elk Grove is, at that time, was a much
02:19 smaller city than what it is now, but we had a few
02:22 restaurants.
02:23 We had Friday's, we had Chili's, we had Red Robin.
02:27 As we turned the corner, John, my husband kind of sat back in
02:29 his seat and he said, "[sigh] Honey, this is gonna to be a
02:33 great year."
02:35 And I said, "Really?"
02:37 He said, "Yes."
02:39 And I, that was like music to my ears because we, we're a blended
02:42 family, we had our struggles, and for him to say, "Honey this
02:48 is going to be a great year", it was one of the best things that
02:51 a wife could hear from a husband, right?
02:54 As we're continuing down on, I saw another restaurant, but I
02:58 decided, "No, I'm a vegetarian," and I thought, "Probably not a
03:02 very big selection of vegetarian food."
03:04 So we kept going.
03:05 And then I turned to my right and I noticed this restaurant,
03:09 it was a new restaurant, a sports grill.
03:12 And I said, "Honey how about Mandango's?"
03:15 And he said, "What is Mandango's?"
03:17 I said, "It's a new sports restaurant."
03:19 And he said, "Really?
03:20 Had you ever been there?"
03:20 And I said, "No."
03:22 And so he said, "Let's go!"
03:25 And so I pulled into the parking lot, it was pretty crowded, and
03:28 it was dark, so I parked on the opposite side right in front of
03:32 the Asian Market, and we hopped out of the car, and walked into
03:35 the restaurant.
03:38 JOHN: A great evening.
03:39 Things are looking good.
03:40 It's going to be a great year.
03:43 You ended up where you ended up sort of randomly, you could have
03:47 been at any other, a number of any other places...
03:48 KAREN: That is true.
03:49 JOHN: So you went in there and you spent your evening.
03:51 Things are looking good.
03:52 The future is looking bright.
03:54 And then a random event took place...
03:57 KAREN: Well when I got inside of the restaurant, immediately my
03:59 spirit didn't feel right.
04:02 I had, we had a wonderful day, and spiritual things, and I
04:07 walked into the restaurant and all I could hear was MUSIC, and
04:11 I could see the TV screens all around the restaurant, and it
04:13 really wasn't what I expected for a date night.
04:18 People laughing, drinking...and I wanted to leave.
04:22 But as I turned and looked at him, I noticed him looking at
04:26 the TV screens.
04:27 And when I saw that I thought, "You know, I don't want to mess
04:31 it up for him, I don't want to be selfish."
04:34 And so, I didn't say anything and he said, "Honey, there's a
04:36 seat, there's a table right over there."
04:38 And we walked and we sat down.
04:40 We ordered.
04:42 He, um, was really into the game.
04:44 More into the game than me, and I was feeling a little jealous.
04:47 But I knew that we were going to spend time over, his friend's
04:51 name was Duane Whitherspoon, so we were going to go to Duane's
04:56 house and we were going to see my mother, so I figured I would
04:58 have enough quality time with him by the time the date was
05:00 over.
05:02 JOHN: It started out like a great night, it started out full
05:06 of promise.
05:07 Not just the night, but the year, was going to be great.
05:11 But how quickly life can take a dramatic turn.
05:17 And when life takes a dramatic turn, what is it you do?
05:20 How do you respond?
05:21 How do you pick yourself up and go again?
05:24 We'll find our when we speak with Karen Johnson more,
05:27 in just a moment.
05:30 Perhaps something in today's program has sparked your
05:32 interest in greater Bible study.
05:34 We invite you to visit our website, itiswritten.com where
05:38 you will find a host of inspirational resources
05:41 including free bible study guides There is also a complete
05:44 archive of past television programs and special video
05:47 seminars that you can view online or download.
05:50 Discover more at itiswritten.com.
05:55 JOHN: Karen Johnson and her husband John Johnson were
05:58 enjoying a perfect evening together.
06:01 John had told Karen, "Honey this is going to be a great year."
06:05 They spent a great time together at a restaurant, and then as you
06:10 do, people leave the restaurant.
06:12 KAREN: Yes.
06:14 JOHN: You'd mentioned how you'd started to feel, in the
06:16 restaurant, not everything was perfect, and I don't know if
06:18 that was a portend of things to come, but when it was time to
06:21 leave, walk us through what happened next.
06:24 That's a very good point, very good point.
06:26 Well, half way through the meal, my husband says, "Uh, honey,
06:29 we're not going to be able to see Mom."
06:32 And I thought, "Excuse me?"
06:34 He says, "We're not going to be able to go over to Mom's house."
06:36 And I said, "Why?"
06:37 He said, "Because we don't have enough time."
06:40 So I just immediately just asked the waitress to come over and
06:43 please give us a ticket so that we can go.
06:45 JOHN: And life is about to change ...
06:47 KAREN: Yes.
06:48 JOHN: ...
06:48 in the most terrible and drastic way that a person could imagine.
06:53 I've read your book, and it recounts the story.
06:58 You went to the parking lot, you got into your car, sat in the
07:02 driver's seat ready to drive.
07:04 John did not immediately get into the car.
07:07 He was on the phone.
07:08 And while he was on the phone, you heard him say something.
07:11 KAREN: I did.
07:14 I heard him say "spoon," and when he said spoon, I thought oh
07:19 they're just joking back and forth, because him and his
07:22 friend would always joke.
07:23 My husband was a jokester.
07:25 He joked about and laughed about everything.
07:27 So he said "spoon" and I thought, "Oh, okay, you know,
07:31 they're talkin'...and then he said, "Man get that out
07:32 of my face."
07:32 And so when I heard him say, "Man get that out of my face."
07:35 I thought maybe his friend cracked a joke, or something and
07:37 he said, "Aw man get that out," you know?
07:40 And then I heard, "POW!"...and I just sat there.
07:46 JOHN: You didn't respond.
07:47 KAREN: I did not respond.
07:49 I ju, I just sat there.
07:52 What went through my mind, what I can recall went through my
07:54 mind was SouthSack is a little ways.
07:58 That happened out there, that, that didn't happen here, I
08:01 didn't, you know.
08:02 So I heard it, but I just discounted is as being maybe
08:05 something that happened way off in the distance, so I just sat
08:08 there.
08:09 When I didn't hear anything, I turned and I looked to my right.
08:13 And he wasn't there.
08:15 Again, I went back to my forward position, just looking.
08:19 After a few seconds, and again I don't know how long it was, I
08:22 turned and looked over to my left, and when I looked to my
08:27 left [pause] I saw this man with a shotgun on his shoulder, like
08:32 this, pointed up to the sky.
08:34 And when I saw that, immediately everything started coming back,
08:38 uh, "spoon," "man get that out of my face," the silence, and
08:43 then I saw the guy walkin' with the shotgun.
08:44 Immedi "He's been shot."
08:45 He, he's been shot.
08:47 JOHN: And what did you do?
08:48 KAREN: Immediately I opened up a car door to run around to find,
08:51 to find my husband.
08:53 When I opened up the car door, he turns around-the murderer,
08:57 the person with the shotgun-he turned around with...
09:01 like robotically, and he looked right at me, in my direction.
09:05 And when he did, I ducked.
09:06 I ducked because I just knew, one: he saw me, and two: he was
09:10 going to come back and finish me off.
09:12 And what kept going through my mind is, "I can identify him, he
09:15 saw me, he's going to come back and he's gonna kill me."
09:18 So I was paranoid.
09:19 So I'm shaking, and I'm ducking so that he won't see me, but I
09:24 see him.
09:25 I saw him the whole time.
09:26 And I'm just shaking, and I truly believe that I was
09:29 praying.
09:31 I can't tell you what I was saying, but I just, all I can
09:33 remember thinkin' is he's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill me,
09:35 he's gonna kill me.
09:38 When he didn't see he, he turns around again, very robotically,
09:41 and he starts walking away from the car.
09:46 And when he did that I knew then that that was the best time ever
09:51 to get out, and to find out where my husband was.
09:54 So I immediately jumped out of the car, and I ran around to the
10:00 passenger side, and I could not believe what I saw.
10:03 My husband was laying there on his back, with his eyes closed,
10:09 and all I could see was his jugular vein pumping.
10:12 That's all I could see.
10:15 And all I could think is if I if I just stay there,
10:18 he's gonna die.
10:19 I need to get help.
10:21 And I just ran, and I darted out quickly, and I ran back into the
10:23 restaurant.
10:25 JOHN: Let me ask you.
10:27 At that moment, how much hope did you have that John was going
10:32 to survive?
10:34 That John would live?
10:35 Or were you even thinking about that?
10:37 KAREN: All I was thinking about was getting help.
10:39 At that moment, I thought that if I got help, he would live.
10:44 So, yes, I did have some hope there.
10:48 But when I got inside the restaurant, it was very
10:51 difficult for me to get the attention of the patrons and/or
10:56 of the management there, because of the music was so loud, the
11:01 TVs were blaring, people were laughing...and I started
11:04 screaming out, I started screaming and I started saying,
11:07 "My husband's been shot!"
11:09 And when I said, "My husband's been shot!"
11:10 nobody heard me.
11:13 And so, I changed my plea, and I said, "CALL 911!
11:18 My husband's been shot!"
11:20 And when I said, "CALL 911!"
11:23 There were two men that were sitting at the bar, but they
11:26 heard me and they turned around and they said, they came over to
11:29 me and they said, "What?"
11:30 I said, "My husband's been shot," I said "There's a man
11:32 outside, he's shooting, he's shooting.
11:34 My husband's been shot!"
11:37 They immediately ran outside with me and I pointed to our car
11:41 and I said, "He's there."
11:42 You know, showed them my husband.
11:43 But they could still hear the guy was shooting in the air, and
11:46 you could hear round after round going off in the air.
11:51 And they could hear the shooting.
11:55 And after we were out there I told them, "I'm gonna," I took
11:58 off, and told them I was going to run back to
11:59 my husband's side.
12:00 And they said, " Ma'am, no you can't go."
12:02 And I said, "Why?"
12:03 And they said, "Because it's too dangerous."
12:04 I said, "But he needs me."
12:06 They says, "No ma'am, you need to go back inside."
12:08 And I was like, "Why, why, why?
12:09 He needs me!"
12:11 However, the Lord knew that we were going to be there that
12:14 night.
12:15 He knew we were going to be there, and so there were
12:18 Christians in that restaurant.
12:19 There were believers, there were "prayin' people" in that
12:21 restaurant.
12:23 And they started coming around me and they started laying their
12:26 hands on me, and they started comforting me, praying for me,
12:29 telling me...just comforting me.
12:33 JOHN: And it wasn't long after that, you received word, or it
12:38 was inferred to you, that your husband wasn't going to make it.
12:42 KAREN: It was inferred to me.
12:44 Later, minutes later, I guess maybe a half hour or so later, I
12:47 don't know, this other lady walked up to me, she was a
12:50 nurse, and she walked up to me and she stood right in my face,
12:53 I remember this and she said, um, "Ma'am, I tried to give him
12:56 CPR, but they wouldn't let me."
12:58 And she just did this...
13:01 and she walked away.
13:06 And when she did that, I knew.
13:07 When she did this...I said, "He's not gonna make it."
13:14 JOHN: What do you do?
13:15 You're full of hope.
13:17 This year is going to be a great year.
13:19 And that very night, randomly, everything ends.
13:25 And the life of the one you love most is tragically, senselessly,
13:30 and brutally ended.
13:32 And then, you've got to go ahead, and make a choice.
13:37 Am I going to live my life, and put the pieces back together, or
13:42 is this going to destroy me also?
13:44 Karen was confronted by that choice.
13:46 Let's find out in just a moment, how she responded when the
13:50 question was asked of her.
13:54 In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, "Man shall not live by
13:59 bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
14:02 God.
14:03 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional
14:06 presented by pastor John Bradshaw, and designed
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14:28 JOHN: On March 25, 2006, Karen Johnson's life
14:31 was changed forever.
14:33 She and her husband John had enjoyed an evening together,
14:36 when John's life was tragically and brutally cut short by a man
14:42 high on methamphetamines, wielding a shotgun and carrying
14:46 a Satanic Bible.
14:48 I don't think it's very hard for you and I to imagine the sorts
14:52 of emotions Karen felt after that awful event.
14:58 Anger, I don't know.
15:00 Malice, bitterness.
15:01 We can imagine these things.
15:04 But Karen was confronted with a choice.
15:06 Do you let your life fall apart?
15:08 Do you fall into a pit of despair and bitterness and hate?
15:12 Or somehow, do you try to piece your life back together again,
15:17 and go on with your head held high and your dignity in tact?
15:23 Karen, that's the decision you were confronted with.
15:27 What was your response to that decision, or to that question
15:30 when it was asked of you?
15:31 KAREN: Yeah...it was very difficult, of course [clears
15:36 throat], it was numerous things that continued to happen as I
15:41 was grieving through the process.
15:43 One of the most difficult things was for me to be able to come to
15:47 terms, come to grips, that my life has changed forever, I felt
15:51 so displaced, I felt like someone who I could relate to
15:55 Joseph being thrown into the pit.
15:57 I could relate to Job when he lost everything just in the
16:01 twinkling of an eye [snaps finger], it was just all gone.
16:05 Um, those stories, believe it or not, John, helped me somehow to,
16:08 uh, bring perspective to what I was dealing with myself.
16:15 I couldn't even breathe, I couldn't even imagine living
16:20 past my next breath.
16:22 It was just that hard.
16:24 It was that difficult.
16:26 But I knew that I didn't, you know, I didn't want to die, and
16:30 I knew I had to put my life back together again.
16:32 JOHN: Now as a Christian, you're supposed to be able to lean on
16:34 Jesus, but as a Christian, we go through this life thinking,
16:39 "Well God is going to protect me, God is going to keep harm
16:42 from coming to me.
16:44 Yet in His ...
16:46 whatever we're going to call it providence, or wisdom, or
16:48 all-knowing-ness, God allowed this tragedy to strike.
16:52 Were there moments you were, were angry with God?
16:55 KAREN: No.
16:57 JOHN: No anger with God?
16:58 KAREN: No.
16:59 JOHN: Which is a remarkable thing.
17:01 KAREN: No.
17:02 JOHN: What kind of conversations did you have with God?
17:04 KAREN: "Why?"
17:05 I needed to know why.
17:06 I wanted to know why, I needed to know why, but I wasn't angry
17:09 because I know that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but
17:12 against principalities and powers and all of that.
17:15 I knew that.
17:17 I know about this great controversy between good and
17:19 evil, between Christ and Satan.
17:21 I knew that.
17:22 So somehow, I realized that I was a part of this great
17:26 controversy.
17:28 Now, what do I do with this?
17:30 And so, I proposed in my heart to turn evil into good but it
17:34 wasn't easy and it was a process.
17:37 JOHN: It had to have been a monumental struggle.
17:39 KAREN: All I wanted to do was to bring glory and honor to God.
17:42 That's what I wanted to do.
17:45 .The funeral, just at the funeral, I wanted to put my
17:49 husband away in decency and in order.
17:52 And it was a decision that I had to make.
17:57 My sister said something to me, she says.
17:58 "You know, you come from a very strong family" and so I thought
18:02 that, you know, and then again I thought about my relationship
18:04 with Christ, and things like that so I think all of that and
18:08 the people that rallied around me helped.
18:12 JOHN: So instead of just pushing you away from God, like it would
18:14 for so many people, this event drew you, urged you even closer
18:21 to God.
18:22 KAREN: More than ever before.
18:22 JOHN: And you were able to find strength from God in a
18:26 senseless, terrible situation.
18:28 KAREN: I was.
18:30 And, as I said, the big question for me was "Why?"
18:33 Why John?
18:36 Why me?
18:37 Why now?
18:39 Why did this have to happen?
18:40 Why?
18:41 And he revealed a lot of things to me, over the year, over the
18:45 years, he revealed a lot of stuff to me, but that was the
18:48 big question so I wasn't angry, I just wanted to know "why" and
18:51 it drew me closer to Him.
18:53 I turned into him instead of turning away from him.
18:56 JOHN: Something you just said and it comes out in your book,
18:58 "Covered and Kept", KAREN: A ha.
19:01 JOHN: Forgiveness is a process.
19:02 KAREN: Yes.
19:03 JOHN: So you were able to bring yourself to a healthy place.
19:07 KAREN: Yes.
19:08 JOHN: But it didn't happen just like that.
19:10 KAREN: No, it did not.
19:11 No, not at all.
19:12 One of the things ..
19:13 I am into health and fitness, and I follow the eight laws of
19:18 health, and I teach you know, health reform to my students and
19:21 my classes, and I had to put all of this together.
19:24 When it happened, I did not want to exercise.
19:28 I had lost 16 pounds in a week and a half.
19:31 I was very weak.
19:36 I was very distraught but I knew that I had to start practicing
19:38 again the principles that I was teaching and preaching to my
19:39 students.
19:41 JOHN: And if you were ever going to be whole, if you were ever
19:43 going to be complete, if you were ever going to be a
19:45 functioning successful Christian, KAREN: Yes.
19:48 JOHN: You were going to have to make a decision regarding
19:51 forgiveness and, in just a moment, Karen is going to talk
19:55 to us and tell me how she was able to wrestle with the idea of
20:01 forgiving the man who murdered her husband, and she will tell
20:06 us whether or not she was able to forgive.
20:08 I'll be right back.
20:10 If there was something in today's program that you'd like
20:12 to study in greater depth and detail, visit our website
20:16 itiswritten.com where you will discover additional spiritual
20:20 resources, along with free Bible study guides on a host of
20:23 topics.
20:24 Visit itiswritten.com today.
20:28 JOHN; Karen, as a Christian, you are going to start wrestling
20:31 with the question of forgiveness KAREN: A ha.
20:33 JOHN: Even forgiving the man who brutally took the life of your
20:38 husband, KAREN: Yeah.
20:40 JOHN: And as you wrestled with that, God brought you to this
20:41 place, to the cemetery and spoke to you here.
20:43 KAREN. Yes He did.
20:44 Yes He did.
20:45 JOHN: How did he do that?
20:46 KAREN: Through his Word.
20:48 Speaking to heart.
20:49 I just kept being pulled here and I couldn't understand why.
20:54 I would go to an appointment with my mental health therapist,
20:57 and right after that appointment, I would come right
21:00 here to the cemetery, and I would stand here, right where we
21:04 are standing, and I know he is dead, in the grave, I know that.
21:09 But I was talking to the Lord, I was praying.
21:11 And I was asking him to show me how to forgive, and John, I had
21:16 more than one person to forgive as well.
21:19 But it was here at the cemetery that I was able to find
21:21 that peace.
21:23 JOHN; And Karen, it was in the courtroom, the day that the man
21:25 who murdered your husband was sentenced.
21:26 KAREN: Yeah.
21:27 JOHN: God gave you the opportunity, impressed upon your
21:29 heart, to do something that most of us would find absolutely
21:32 remarkable.
21:32 How did that happen?
21:33 KAREN; Well, again, I did not know what I was going to say and
21:37 my girlfriend prayed and said, Let's allow Jesus, the Lord, to
21:42 put the words in your mouth.
21:43 And everything was orchestrated where I would be the only person
21:47 who would speak on that day to share with the judge, the
21:51 courtroom and the defendant how I was impacted.
21:56 I did not know where I was going to go, I started off with
21:58 independence, but in the end, I looked him in the eye, the
22:02 murderer, and I told him I forgave him.
22:06 I went on to tell him that I do not condone ...
22:08 don't get it wrong ...I don't condone with you did, but, I
22:14 said the second time, I forgive you.
22:16 Now, up until that time he showed no remorse whatsoever and
22:22 that was the first reaction, the first reaction we got to show us
22:27 that there was, that he had somewhat of a heart, you know,
22:32 and he said thank you.
22:34 Not audibly, but with his lips, he said thank you.
22:37 JOHN; I read in your book, Covered and Kept hhe said thank
22:39 you to you not one time, but twice.
22:41 KAREN: Twice.
22:42 But twice.
22:46 JOHN: I know you are going to understand what I mean when I
22:48 say this.
22:49 If there is anyone in this world who did not deserve forgiveness,
22:53 it's the man who murdered your husband.
22:56 He was in the wrong.
22:57 We could go through a whole long list of things.
22:59 KAREN: Yeah.
23:00 JOHN: From a human point of view, he did not deserve
23:02 forgiveness.
23:03 KAREN: Um hum.
23:04 JOHN: But that is not the standpoint you were
23:05 operating from.
23:06 KAREN: It was not.
23:06 It was not.
23:07 And I know now and I knew then why God kept sending me here to
23:11 this cemetery because every time as I drove around here crying,
23:16 sad, grief, remorseful, depressed, I was playing Via
23:21 Dolorosa, as a matter of fact, Jaime Jorge, I would listen to
23:24 that, tears rolling down my face and what I could see was Jesus
23:28 hanging on the cross.
23:29 That's what he showed me.
23:31 That's what I could see.
23:32 He didn't die just for me and you but he died for the Aaron
23:35 Duns of the world, those people that are murdering and do wrong.
23:40 And again, there are consequences to our actions and
23:43 I wanted him to understand that but also I wanted him to
23:46 understand that he has an opportunity to give his life to
23:48 Christ if he chose and that was the message that I believe God
23:54 wanted me to share with him at that time.
23:55 JOHN: That's the message of grace.
23:57 The same mercy that God has shown sinners like me.
24:00 KAREN; Yes.
24:03 JOHN; You then extended and demonstrated to this man,
24:08 guilty, sentenced to death.
24:11 KAREN; Yes, sentenced to death, that's right.
24:13 JOHN: But you showed him grace, forgiveness, pardon undeserved.
24:17 KAREN: Yes.
24:19 JOHN: That is one of the powerful things about your
24:21 story, how it played out down at this end of the story.
24:24 KAREN: YES.
24:25 JOHN: It mirrors what God has done for me and you.
24:27 What God has done for everybody.
24:28 KAREN: Yes.
24:29 Yes.
24:30 I agree.
24:31 JOHN; Thanks for sharing your story with me.
24:32 KAREN; And thank you.
24:33 JOHN; Thank you so very much.
24:34 KAREN; Yes.
24:35 JOHN; You know friend, God is a God of great grace.
24:38 A God of great mercy.
24:40 He is a God of justice, but he is a God who is good.
24:44 There are people in this world and you are one of them who do
24:49 not deserve forgiveness.
24:51 Who do not deserve goodness.
24:53 Who do not forgive grace.
24:57 But God, through his Son Jesus Christ, has come to this earth
25:01 to offer us pardon, forgiveness, cleansing, and wholeness, even
25:07 though we do not deserve it.
25:10 God has offered that to us.
25:12 Let's pray together now and thank God for that goodness, for
25:17 that grace.
25:18 Let's pray together.
25:20 Our father in heaven, we can just say thank you today because
25:23 you are good when we are not you are great and good and right but
25:29 I thank you that for the sinners of this world you offer grace,
25:34 you offer pardon, you offer forgiveness.
25:37 We don't deserve it but as Karen has demonstrated, grace is so
25:41 powerful when it is not deserved and Lord, I wish that it wi have
25:46 a powerful affect in our lives now.
25:49 Bless us please, for your honor and glory, in Jesus name.
25:53 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed
26:01 you with a personal need for deeper Bible study.
26:04 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads?
26:08 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a
26:11 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides.
26:14 These study guides will take you through the essential truths
26:17 taught in Scripture.
26:18 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits
26:21 together.
26:22 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become
26:25 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates
26:29 to all the areas of our lives.
26:31 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will
26:35 be on their way to you and the entire course is absolutely
26:38 free.
26:38 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible
26:41 lessons on-line at our website.
26:44 Here's the information you need.
26:49 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, by
26:52 calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000.
26:55 Call right now.
26:56 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number,
26:59 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides.
27:02 Lines are open 24 hours daily.
27:04 They may be busy so keep trying.
27:06 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is
27:09 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
27:13 Our free offer is for an address in North America only.
27:17 The Discover Bible Guides are also available on the Internet.
27:21 Just visit our website itiswritten.com.
27:24 Also on line is a complete script of today's program.
27:27 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of It is
27:30 Written, your tax deductible gift may be sent to the same
27:33 address or you can make a gift on line at itiswritten.com Thank
27:37 you for your letters and continued support.
27:40 Our toll free number is 1800 253 3000
27:43 and our web address itiswritten.com
27:47 Thank you for joining me today and until we meet again
27:49 next time, please remember, It is Written
27:53 man shall not live by bread alone but by every word
27:57 that proceeds from the mouth of God.


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Revised 2015-02-06