Celebrating Life in Recovery

Rejoicing In The Lord

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Cheri Peters, Cliff and Freddie Harris

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Series Code: CLR

Program Code: CLR000013


00:10 Welcome To Celebrating Life in Recovery; today we are
00:12 going to brag on Jesus and how He uses us.
00:14 It's too cool! Come and join us.
00:45 On a show we are going to brag on Christ, that is my
00:47 favorite thing to do.
00:48 If you are Christ's follower, He sends you out as if you
00:51 were a letter back to your family, back to the village,
00:54 back to the Street where you live.
00:55 Jesus dwelling in you desires to speak to the heart of
00:59 those who are not quite acquainted with Him.
01:02 He wants to speak to them through you. Sometimes they have
01:05 never seen the Bible, they have never heard of Christ,
01:08 they do not know what it feels like to be forgiven, to
01:11 have all that junk brought up and removed from them.
01:14 So for us, we are who tells them that.
01:17 I love the fact with the demoniac, I know I've told this
01:20 story before, but when I first read the Bible or had
01:22 somebody read me the story of the demoniac.
01:25 Larry you will love this, because they said the guy was
01:29 crazy, right? Absolutely crazy and I'm thinking okay.
01:32 Foaming at the mouth, alright did I tell you he is ugly?
01:36 I said alright he is ugly, he's crazy, he's foaming at the
01:39 mouth, filled with a thousand demons.
01:42 I'm thinking I think I dated that guy. Thinking what happened
01:47 Jesus goes in and just loves on him, pulls the demons out.
01:52 Not because he asked, because when he came up to Christ,
01:56 he just cussed Him out.
01:57 I think, you did? You cursed out Christ Himself?
02:01 What happened? Did He like zap you? You just totally
02:04 disintegrated? No! He said there was a small part in
02:07 this guy's heart that wanted to be well, and Jesus
02:10 responded to that and pulled all the demons out, went to
02:13 the water and washed him up and cleaned him up and
02:15 restored him to his right mind.
02:17 I said, oh please, restore me. Restore me.
02:21 And I think what an incredible thing to do, that God wants
02:25 to come in and restore us, and this guy said to Jesus
02:28 right away, come on and take me with You.
02:31 You know your going to go out and change the world, your going
02:33 to love on people and do the same thing You did with me.
02:37 I want to go. He said no, no, no, go back home and tell
02:41 them, tell them what I did.
02:43 I'm thinking, how cool is that? How cool is that?
02:46 He goes back home, and some people go back home and be
02:49 cleaned up from all kinds of stuff that God has rescued.
02:52 They have been in prison, they've beat people and all that
02:55 stuff, and they go back home and tell somebody I had
02:58 a little bit of problem with anger once.
03:00 You are filled with a thousand demons, don't even lie to me.
03:04 No way, it wasn't a little problem with anger, you were
03:08 strung out on porn, and you beat your wife.
03:10 You put pillows over your kids and suffocated them so they
03:13 go to sleep and God says, I know all that.
03:16 I forgive you, but go tell somebody that that is what
03:19 I rescued you from, you know why?
03:21 It vindicates God, it tells the world that God is
03:24 capable of coming into all our mess, pulling it out
03:28 of us and restoring us to sanity and giving us joy.
03:31 Giving us a purpose to live for and all that stuff.
03:35 So I just have to brag on Him, I love that.
03:37 So in my first part of recovery, and we talked about this.
03:40 I talked about the recovery from heroin addiction,
03:44 homelessness, you know what? I could manipulate better
03:47 than well better than most people I ran with because if
03:50 anybody was better than me I just ran with someone else.
03:54 No, but I could manipulate, run games, strung out on
03:57 heroin and all that stuff and God was real faithful
04:00 with all that recovery stuff.
04:03 But when I started to getting cleaner and I looked as
04:06 good as the next person in church I was like Man, I
04:08 could sit next to Freddie and I would look just as good.
04:12 You know I could do that, I thought how cool was that?
04:15 God says, we are not done yet Hon, we're not done.
04:18 I want to introduce you to the people at the café first.
04:21 Then I'm going to tell you what I mean by we are not
04:24 done yet, and that I would like to introduce you to
04:26 Freddie and Cliff Harris.
04:27 So first of all I want to say, you have been on the show
04:29 before and thanks for coming back, I love you guys.
04:32 I love the work you guys do. - thank you.
04:35 Susan you are here from Nebraska, Curly you have been on
04:40 the show before and thank you for coming back.
04:42 Larry, you know it is always fun to have cowboys on the
04:45 show, because you see I'm from Idaho, so there's cowboys
04:48 all around us, so thanks for coming.
04:50 And Fa'asoa, you are going in to the pastorate which I love,
04:54 I can't wait till you to get your own church and I'm just
04:58 going to come and bug you, I just can't wait.
05:01 We are talking about bragging on God, and bragging on God
05:05 every single step of the way.
05:06 Because initially He had some tons, I thought initially He had
05:10 so much work, I didn't even know how to eat with someone.
05:13 Somebody would say you want to have potluck with us,
05:16 and I would be going, like my palm's would sweat.
05:18 I would think I do not know how to do that, and it's too
05:20 much anxiety, and I am afraid, I didn't know how to
05:22 socialize, I definitely didn't know how to talk like normal
05:25 folks talk so I was always not okay with that.
05:29 And as I got better, I'm thinking wow, how fun is that?
05:32 He worked through major issues, He even gave me new teeth
05:35 because I had gotten beaten by a motorcycle gang and knocked
05:38 some teeth out, and I had so much fear as far as to be
05:42 touched, you couldn't brush up against me.
05:44 If you brushed up against me, I would for a long time
05:47 wonder what the motive was, what's up?
05:49 What do you want from me? So just to heal from that kind
05:53 of space issues and trust issues took God forever.
05:56 You know what took Him the longest, and I love this.
05:59 Is I thought I knew what to work on.
06:01 Oh no God, not that, let's work on this over here.
06:05 God would be going like oh baby girl, it's not even that.
06:09 That is not even the issue, but I would think I knew and
06:11 He would let me run after things and work on whatever.
06:14 He would always bring me back.
06:16 What was really interesting is that He finally said,
06:19 you know what? There is a secret to recovery.
06:23 I thought wow, a secret to recovery.
06:27 There is a secret to falling in love with God, there is
06:30 a secret to witnessing and I thought I wonder what it is?
06:34 He said, it is the Holy Spirit. I thought oh, shut up.
06:37 Really! So the Holy Spirit? He said, you know what?
06:41 And Jesus laughed, He said you know what, I'm going to
06:44 send the Holy Spirit and don't do nothing until you get
06:47 this, don't do anything.
06:49 Ellen White, I love her, she's a prophet.
06:52 She said, in her writings, every single day ask for the
06:56 baptism of the Holy Spirit to fill you up so that you have
07:00 the wisdom and the know-how to walk through this stuff.
07:03 But I didn't even do that for 10 or 15 years in recovery.
07:07 So what I did is chase my tail into repentance.
07:10 I thought Okay, I'm working on it, I'm still working on this
07:13 and I'm working on this again, I'd like to work on this.
07:16 I'm like getting tired of working on this and
07:19 I went in circles for ever.
07:22 God said, let Me fill you up. Let Me Fill You up with
07:25 the Holy Spirit, let Me ask you every single day.
07:28 I want you to die to self, and Paul said that.
07:31 Die to yourself daily, get filled up the Holy Spirit and
07:34 you will be empowered to do this.
07:36 I thought, no way. And the only reason I looked at that, people
07:40 know that I got diagnosed with hepatitis A B & C.
07:42 I'm a drug addict was homeless for 10 years and the doctors
07:46 said that I was going to die, and I'm thinking, how good is
07:49 that? Most people would say that's not good, right?
07:52 I'm thinking I wanted to get out of here since I was
07:54 a little girl, I am done.
07:56 I don't even like it here, even the best church has
08:00 issues, I don't mean to offend anybody, but even
08:03 the best of us have issues.
08:05 So if I get a free ticket out to I'm okay with that.
08:08 Then everybody starts praying for me, and it is really
08:11 hard for them to say excuse me, when they say can
08:14 I pray for you, can I put my hand on your liver?
08:16 I'm thinking no, I'm okay.
08:18 But you can't tell them that because it would be weird.
08:20 So they would pray for me and pretty soon I feel well.
08:25 Oh man, this is not fair, this is totally not fair.
08:29 God I was okay with all this.
08:32 So I go back in, I go back into the Doctor and say Doctor,
08:37 I think I'm healed, he says you know what Cheri you don't
08:42 get healed from this.
08:43 I remember just saying to him, I know that but
08:46 God doesn't know that and so you need to retest me.
08:49 It took me forever to convince him to retest me.
08:52 He finally does, right? I'm totally clean, all my blood
08:56 work is clean and he says that it is odd for him.
08:59 Don't write down I'm healed, I told him write it down
09:02 because people are going to want to see that.
09:04 Well maybe it's hiding in your liver and just not on
09:06 there and you're not having a reactive test anymore.
09:09 But I am thinking okay I am healed and I start actually
09:12 looking at when people prayed they said the gifts of the
09:16 Holy Spirit are to be able to pray for somebody and to do
09:19 healing stuff and I started looking at the Holy Spirit.
09:22 I started looking what is the gifts of the Spirit,
09:24 and what does God actually provide for us?
09:26 There is something with the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
09:30 or the gift of the Holy Spirit that God gives us, there is
09:33 that sense of I truly do give everything over to God.
09:38 I give everything over to God, the Bible becomes more real
09:41 and my recovery becomes more real.
09:43 I want to say I started doing some incredible things
09:46 I think, I started looking at through God, through the
09:50 Holy Spirit, what are the finer things
09:52 You want me to work on?
09:53 You dealt with health issues, You dealt with heroin,
09:55 You dealt with manipulation, some of it with exaggeration.
10:00 You know how He works on me, I think I'm sanguine and
10:03 besides just having my addiction that is just the problem
10:06 we have. Anyhow so He works on that kind of stuff.
10:08 But one day He says, not only do I want to work on that
10:12 stuff, but I want you to start looking at who you are
10:15 as a wife, and a mother and a Christian woman, right?
10:19 So I'm thinking God I don't have any problems in that
10:22 area, I'm thinking my problem is I'm a recovering drug addict.
10:26 One day I come home I want to get a new computer.
10:29 I want to get a laptop and it is for our ministry.
10:32 I said to Brad, I'd like to get a laptop.
10:35 He says, you know we can't afford it. I said what?
10:38 He says, we can't afford it. When Brad became a Christian
10:42 just a few years ago, we've been married almost 19 years
10:45 and he's only been a Christian for a few years.
10:47 I gave him, you can make all the decisions of the House.
10:51 When we disagree on something I will listen to you.
10:55 That is fine if he agrees with me, but when he doesn't
10:58 it is just not fine.
11:00 I thinking this laptop is for business,
11:02 what are you talking about?
11:03 He's like Hon, we can't afford it. I'm like oh stop.
11:07 He says we can't afford it. You said it was my decision
11:10 at the last part.
11:11 I'm thinking, yeah, okay I said it. Then I came back
11:16 the next day, he gets home from work and I look great.
11:23 Oh baby, I had my best outfit on, I looked cute, I had his
11:28 favorite meal done, and I had been homeless for 10 years and
11:33 a heroin addict, he was a Boy Scout until he was 18.
11:35 By the end of the night I had that computer.
11:37 So I'm like yeah so I go out and buy the computer.
11:42 I get the computer and get it home and take it to my
11:47 office and put it on the desk and I open it.
11:50 It's amazing, amazing and I put my hands on it.
11:53 God says go ahead, enjoy it. Oh man, that is totally
11:58 not fair because he said yes.
12:00 The Holy Spirit said after you manipulated him.
12:03 Oh he said yes, he could have said no and if he would
12:06 have said no, I wouldn't have done it.
12:08 God said no enjoy it! And He would not let up on me.
12:11 It's as if did something wrong. I'm like God, that's so not fair
12:18 I'm trying to figure out how can I get God to shut up
12:22 about this, right? So what I do is I turn up some
12:25 worship music, poof full blast so I can hear the
12:28 Holy Spirit. Na-na-na-na, praising the Lord, I'm singing.
12:31 I've got all kinds of stuff distracting me and God is
12:35 still trying to speak to me on this issue.
12:37 I'm thinking I've just got to not pay attention.
12:39 Every single time I got near this computer I felt guilty.
12:42 One day I'm walking down the hallway and my daughter,
12:45 who is 14 years old at the time, walks in and she's
12:48 in an out of the bathroom, she's getting ready for something.
12:51 She doesn't go anywhere without letting me know because
12:54 we live in the country and I have to drive her, you know?
12:57 So I said Jackie were you going, she said, no where.
13:01 Then what are you getting all dressed up for?
13:03 Well daddy's coming home and I want tickets to this
13:06 concert, and I'm like oh no.
13:08 The Holy Spirit showed me in a flash that I just
13:12 generationally taught this child how to use men.
13:15 I thought forgive me, please forgive me.
13:18 What I want to brag on God, not only because of who He is,
13:22 and how He uses us, how much He loves us, but the fact
13:25 that He walks us through all those things.
13:27 Even the find stuff, after we've done major stuff with
13:31 figuring out who we are in our addictions, in our obvious
13:34 stuff, He says you know what? I want to actually turn
13:37 you into an incredible woman of God that can stand in
13:41 your family, love your husband, love your children,
13:44 love the people around you, were even your friends are
13:47 going to be blessed by who you are because you are done
13:50 with this junk. I'm thinking, God You are so amazing.
13:53 We are going to come back and I'm going to introduce
13:56 you to Freddie and Cliff Harris and you are going to be
13:59 so blessed, so blessed.
14:00 But again this whole show is just bragging on God,
14:03 so stay with us.
14:08 We want to introduce you to a beautiful book
14:10 called 'Steps To Christ'.
14:12 Each program in this series is based on a different
14:15 chapter showing you how to become a Christian and
14:17 gain victory over your addictions.
14:20 'Steps To Christ' is our gift to you free of charge.
14:23 Just call us at:
14:51 Welcome back, this is my favorite part of the show.
14:53 We are going to talk to some of the guests in the café.
14:55 They are going to tell us a little bit about what
14:57 they are doing and who they are.
14:59 But Cliff and Freddie you've been on the show before and
15:02 we were wowed Cliff by your testimony and so many people
15:06 were blessed, but I want you to say a little bit about
15:09 your testimony again for people who haven't seen
15:11 that show and then tell us what you are doing now.
15:13 Well I just had 20 years of drug abuse, $200 a day habit
15:19 on heroin, cocaine, been in Colorado State penitentiary
15:25 twice, in and out of jails all my life. - even as a kid?
15:30 Yeah, no I didn't go to jail until I was around about 18.
15:35 Or 19, I went to jail.
15:38 And Freddie you've married him, you know it is amazing to me
15:45 like one day into his recovery. - yeah I met him after
15:48 he came clean and sober.
15:50 We were at church one Sabbath and he met me, and on Sunday
15:54 he proposed to me and I said, yes the very next day.
15:58 Can you tell me how that happens? Because even when
16:02 you said it the first time, I was thinking
16:03 how does that happen?
16:04 Well you know I have spent a year with the Lord and
16:07 decided I wasn't going to date and look for a husband.
16:10 In that one whole year I spent just getting to know Jesus.
16:13 I was so close to Him that I really was satisfied with our
16:16 relationship and I said, well if the Lord wants me to have
16:19 a husband fine, if not I'm totally satisfied.
16:22 Then He sends somebody one day into recovery.
16:25 That just cracks me up, I love God.
16:27 I married a Boy Scout, never had done anything wrong and his
16:31 father and mother are normal and I was homeless.
16:33 I just think how funny is that?
16:35 The irony is that Cliff's son and I were best friends.
16:39 I was like his second mom for two years.
16:41 - before you guys met? - before we met.
16:43 I knew his parents were divorced,
16:44 but he never talked about them.
16:46 So I walked in church one day and Cliff was standing
16:48 there with Jeffrey and I hugged him and said,
16:50 Hey Jeff, How are you doing?
16:51 Then I saw Cliff and the rest is history.
16:54 Wait a minute, let me make it a little bit better.
16:58 My son and I, we were standing in the lobby of the Church
17:02 and we were just talking.
17:04 She zips in and kisses Jeffrey on the cheek,
17:08 and all I saw was her face, just her face.
17:13 In this face I saw all this joy, saw all this peace and
17:18 something within me said, she is the one.
17:21 Because you see females, no I wanted to stay away from
17:26 females. - because you are recovery. - yes and in
17:30 recovery you don't need to get involved with a female.
17:33 That can take you off track.
17:35 Not knowing that the Holy Spirit impressed him, she is
17:37 the one, when I met him that Saturday night and he came to
17:40 my house and brought me one red rose.
17:43 When he handed me that one red rose the Holy Spirit
17:46 impressed me, he's the one. - oh man, I love that.
17:49 I have been a Christian all my life, I never drank,
17:52 smoked, and this guy I would have probably thrown out the
17:54 front door, - without hearing his testimony?
17:56 But I was totally satisfied. And I knew - no! She didn't
17:58 hear my testimony - but I mean if she had she would have
18:01 run. - right, right. But I just knew this was the
18:03 person that God had chosen for me.
18:04 But you see I knew I had to, you know I'm coming to church
18:09 every time those church doors are opened.
18:14 I'm sitting on the pew, just go sit down.
18:18 If you go it was like you were meeting new people, you are
18:24 getting into different lifestyle, you're getting back
18:26 to your old roots because you know you are going this way.
18:31 - you're not trying to steal your wallet.
18:36 Yes Cheri. - by this time I had...
18:40 After I moved out from my sisters,
18:44 I had me a four bedroom house and nobody living in
18:47 it but me, but the Lord is blessing me.
18:49 Because I am being faithful, I'm going this way, I'm going
18:54 this way so we made a date to see each other the next day.
18:59 And she drove up at 12 o'clock, and I said, oh yeah, I have
19:03 got her now, she pulled up and she came inside and she set
19:07 one end of the couch and I sat on the other end of the
19:11 couch and commenced to tell her, I want to tell her about
19:15 my life because I didn't want to leave this to everybody
19:18 else because I knew she would hear it from the members.
19:22 - because she grew up in that church.
19:24 No I told her that I lied, I stole and I was drug addict,
19:28 and just got out of the penitentiary,
19:33 - Will you marry me? - Did you say that right after
19:38 you said all of that? - No! I looked at her and she
19:43 look at me and she said, is that all?
19:46 I said this girl has got to be crazy.
19:49 I said, is that all because the Holy Spirit had
19:51 impressed me the night before that he was the one.
19:54 So I was totally content. - when she said that I looked
19:57 at her and said, Will you marry me? - I said yes.
20:00 When she said yes I kissed her and we've been
20:02 kissing ever since.
20:04 And on May 10 we will have been married for 22 years.
20:08 Whoa! Yes Sir. - that is so incredible. - yes, yes.
20:11 You know what amazes me about your story because I know
20:14 that God pulled you into recovery, got you back in the
20:19 church, and you were out there and you got together
20:22 and he still had to do some recovery time at the first
20:26 part of your relationship, right? - yes, yes.
20:28 In fact his eyes were so glassy, I said honey you got to look
20:30 better because he was getting ready
20:31 to meet my family you know, - you got to get some things
20:36 right. - he kept going to church kept doing what
20:39 he was suppose to do.
20:40 After we got married the Lord not only brought us together
20:43 for marriage, but he brought us together for our ministry.
20:46 And we had no idea that the Lord was going to call us into
20:49 this ministry because when Cliff went back to church
20:53 he started going to Sabbath school with the little kids
20:56 because he had been out of church for 20 years so
20:58 he wanted to learn all the stories, and at that time
21:01 the Lord was training him for this ministry for the
21:04 Drug Alternative Program.
21:05 Talk about the Drug Alternative Program, because that
21:08 is what God has blessed you and led you into ministry.
21:10 I know you have blessed tons of folks looking for recovery.
21:14 Yes in fact we had a program here on 3ABN for about
21:17 eight years called Drugs Close to Home and it was a
21:20 real blessing, - wait, wait, wait because I'm an addict
21:24 in recovery and I saw your program and I'm like oh Amen.
21:27 You got some healing from it and so I want you to know
21:30 that I love you guys.
21:32 Before I even met you, because I saw what you were doing
21:36 on the media and I never dreamed that I would be sitting
21:39 here and have an opportunity not only to hear your
21:42 personal testimony, but how God blessed you with other people.
21:45 You know how the Lord has blessed you, you know why?
21:48 Because look at you, He has fixed you up and you got
21:50 your own show now. - that's right Amen.
21:59 Isn't that amazing? So when we talk about bragging on God
22:02 I want to say even as you get into talking about your,
22:05 ministry, is that Brad and I, He takes all that junk
22:08 all the stuff we hid for so long,
22:10 not only do I want to bring it out to the table
22:12 but I want you to use it to bless someone else and comfort
22:15 them with what I comfort you from.
22:17 You know we always stop and think about how we use God,
22:24 or how God can use us in a way for His benefit
22:28 and not our own. The Lord has blessed me in a way
22:33 that I used to say to myself, Lord why are You so
22:37 good to me? I'm not even worthy for You to bless me.
22:41 Not even worthy, I'm not even supposed to be here.
22:45 But He says, you know what Clifford?
22:48 I said to myself what can I do for you?
22:51 He says, Clifford, just love Me.
22:55 That is all that He wants from all of us is to just
22:59 love Him, that is it, bottom line.
23:02 He certainly delights in us, and I looked up the original
23:05 word for delight in like the Greek, or the original
23:08 language and it says to run into a room and do somersaults
23:11 all over the place. - oh, I like that.
23:13 I thought delight would just be a nice smile,
23:16 or pleasant welcome, my He says no, no, no.
23:19 I delight in you and I love you so much. - Amen.
23:22 You know one thing we all need to stop and think about,
23:26 because I used to think about it.
23:27 I was so tired out there in the streets, and you know one
23:31 thing I always wanted, I was tired of the courts, I was
23:35 tired of the dealers, I was tired of police, everything.
23:40 I remember God would say, "come unto Me and I will give
23:45 you peace" and I wanted peace, just peace of mind.
23:49 - exactly, a brain cell or two. - because you are out
23:54 there in that world, there is no peace.
23:56 I don't care what you say, you think you have some.
24:00 But Jesus says come unto me and I just lay all your
24:04 burdens and everything on My shoulder.
24:06 I'll take care of it. And I wanted peace.
24:09 Okay, I'm going to try this. - I'm going to trust Him.
24:13 - yeah, I want some peace.
24:15 So how did God turn all that around, you guys got
24:18 together, how did you get into ministry?
24:20 How did you start a rehab center?
24:22 Well we first started our own business, Harris Masonry.
24:25 We were making big bucks, but you know we came to
24:28 California on a vacation, and while we were there one of
24:32 the ministers asked Clifford if he would speak at a camp
24:36 meeting and he spoke and there were so many Adventists,
24:40 so many Christians coming up.
24:41 My son is on drugs, my husband was on drugs and so
24:44 Clifford looked at me and said honey do you think
24:46 we could move to California and start a program?
24:48 I said no, because I had just left California and
24:51 we had just refurbished a whole house,
24:53 bricked it, built a room.
24:54 I said no I don't want to go back to California.
24:57 He said, you know I have a burden for souls,
25:00 let's just pray about it and see if this is what
25:02 the Lord wants us to do.
25:03 To make a long story short, his ex-boss was in California
25:06 30 minutes from where we were vacationing with my mom.
25:09 Had called back to Denver and said Cliff the block
25:13 business is going good here, I want you to come and be
25:16 my partner, Freddie I want you as a secretary I need
25:19 you yesterday and I will pay for all of your moving.
25:21 So we looked at each other and said honey what do we do?
25:24 We got ready, and here we are.
25:26 - that's right we moved to California.
25:29 But you know what I think? - what?
25:31 I said to myself I think God tricked me into moving to
25:36 California, because I had my own home. We had bought it.
25:41 And You're going to take me into California, and
25:47 I'm going to leave this and move in with my mother-in-law?
25:50 Did you hear me? - yeah I heard you, like oh man.
25:55 I got my father with me, and Freddie, we had Lyndon and
25:58 he was like twelve or six or seven or something like that.
26:03 With all this responsibility on me, and moving in with
26:07 her, into her home and all of her brothers and sisters
26:11 coming over and eating up all the food and all of this
26:14 kind of stuff, I have to deal with.
26:16 Then I was working with Gage and we weren't making any
26:21 money. - so Gage went back to Denver. - oh no.
26:23 Now you're in California. - right.
26:27 Here I am in California, and the car we had the
26:31 transmission went out and we didn't have no money.
26:36 So Cliff wanted to go right to Denver.
26:37 I wanted to go back to Denver.
26:39 But I told him, the Lord brought us here and this
26:43 is where He wants us.
26:45 So then Cliff got a job working by the hour
26:47 as a brick mason.
26:48 There is scripture and I love, Jeremiah 29:11 where it
26:52 says, I have plans for your life, future and a hope.
26:56 I used to think that just meant my salvation and
27:00 coming in and sitting down in a church and having
27:04 that peace of mind.
27:05 God says no, no, no I have actually plans for your life.
27:09 He had incredible plans for you guys life.
27:11 right, but it sounds like right then quite like it because
27:13 the transmissions out and all that stuff,
27:16 but what happened?
27:17 We started out a support group, we had a support group in
27:19 our home and there was like 30 or 40 people came to our house.
27:22 But we say we need something more because it was more like
27:25 a social club and we weren't really helping them.
27:28 So we decided we wanted to have a recovery home.
27:30 What happened, one of the board members left one day and
27:33 she said there is a nice home up the street, why don't
27:37 you get that home? We are in Grand Terrace, California,
27:40 middle-class neighborhood - expensive.
27:42 - yeah they're not going to let us have this house.
27:44 But we got that house, we rented it for like 4 and 1/2 years.
27:49 We had six clients there, and we didn't know how to set
27:55 up a program. - and the clients just came because
27:57 of the support group? - right, right.
27:59 So Lord how-to we set up the program? So one day we said,
28:03 the Lord impressed, set it up like everyday living.
28:07 That is what we did. The guys get up at 5:30 in the
28:10 morning, they have breakfast at six o'clock.
28:12 - 5:30 in the morning I'm like, whose house did you live in?
28:15 We have worship every morning, the Sabbath school
28:19 lesson, Morning Watch, and then we have a work program.
28:23 At first we started letting the guys work outside the
28:26 program, they were going out and getting high and
28:29 we had no control, and Cliff you woke up one morning
28:31 and what did you say?
28:33 I said Freddie let's start a lawn business and we didn't
28:37 have no money, didn't know where the money was coming
28:41 from, nothing so what I did was I would tell the people
28:46 if you let me do your lawn, if you give me your lawn mower
28:51 I will do your lawn.
28:53 So they would give me the lawn mower and I would do their
28:57 yard and then I get another one, lawn mowers breaking down
29:01 and I was changing wheels off of one lawn mower, lawn mower
29:04 sitting like this and cutting grass.
29:07 We got a truck donated and we started a lawn business.
29:11 So the lawn business is for the clients that come through
29:14 your program? - right. - a lot of people don't know
29:17 as far as addicts, we need to actually start doing
29:19 something that is consistent, we can build our self worth
29:23 with, and all that stuff and so the business.
29:25 - yeah they work every day from eight to four o'clock.
29:27 That pays for half of their recovery.
29:30 They come home and eat dinner at 5:30, and in the evening
29:33 they had their therapy sessions.
29:35 Monday night they have therapy, one on one therapy.
29:37 They go to prayer meeting on Wednesday night.
29:39 Church on Sabbath, these are all mandatory meetings.
29:42 So the program is set up just like everyday living,
29:44 so when they leave the program, they have a set pattern.
29:47 - All those skills. Yeah, all those skills!
29:48 So now a lawn business now pays for half of our expenses.
29:55 We have commercial lawns now, Loma Linda University,
29:58 have Campus Hill Church, South Union California Conference
30:01 City of Grand Terrace plus we have residential too.
30:05 So it has been a real blessing and we have six new trucks.
30:09 The whole time, and this is why love to brag on God,
30:12 the whole time God is saying, I have a plan but the
30:15 transition is not easy and you have to trust Me.
30:18 You have trust me, I will use everything you came from, like
30:21 Cliff you were saying, in and out of prison, your
30:23 addiction, watching your kids watching you get high and
30:26 all that stuff, God says, you will use every single story.
30:29 Tell me about something of someone that went through your
30:32 program? - okay I can tell you about Anthony.
30:33 Anthony is from Nashville, Tennessee, his father was
30:39 a Doctor and he had a great childhood.
30:42 Then he got on cocaine and lost everything.
30:46 In fact his parents were rich and when they died
30:50 he just knew he was going to be set free.
30:52 Guess what they gave him when they died?
30:54 $10,000- that's it? - that's it.
30:56 And everything else was willed to this uncle.
30:59 So he said, you know what? I'm going to go to DAP.
31:03 He called you one night and what happened when he called you?
31:05 He called me and told me that he was going to go to
31:10 Oakwood College, and I laughed at him.
31:14 I said Anthony they will eat you alive, I said you have got to
31:18 get yourself together first before you go down there.
31:21 - wow, good for you. - he made a decision to come to
31:25 the program. - but I'm going to tell you, we have two
31:29 recovery homes and one transition home.
31:31 We just open the transition home in 2000.
31:33 So after the guys go through our program, the program
31:36 is 12 to 18 months, then they can go into
31:38 the transition home and go to school or work so
31:41 they can get back into society.
31:43 Anthony came and he graduated, went into the transition house
31:47 and while he was doing lawns every day, he went to
31:51 Loma Linda University and he wanted to be a Doctor.
31:55 But he saw all these, you know doctors and nurses and
31:58 everything, he's picking up dog poop and pulling weeds and
32:02 everything and he said you know what?
32:04 I'm going to come to Loma Linda University.
32:07 Now he worked the whole 18 months, he was working the
32:10 yards and sweating and everything and when he graduated
32:13 from the program, he graduated from the program, he said,
32:17 I'm going to apply myself to go to Loma Linda University.
32:20 He put in an application for Loma Linda University and
32:23 told them that he was a drug addict and everything.
32:25 They accepted him, he went to Loma Linda for four years.
32:29 - that is so God. - 4 years, he was top of his class.
32:34 President of his class, he graduated last year as an R.N.
32:39 and passed the State Boards and December 8 he got married.
32:44 So he went from zero to nothing. He went on a speaking
32:47 engagement to Louisville, Kentucky and he met this young
32:51 lady and they married on December 8.
32:53 That is amazing when you look at all that kind of stuff,
32:58 and you think God is not only, I want to walk you through
33:01 recovery, I want to give you something, I want to bless
33:04 you, I want to pour into your life and all those things.
33:07 I really think God is so amazing because He said that
33:10 I want you to help other people and you will be blessed
33:13 even by that, even that will keep you in your recovery.
33:15 All our employees are graduates of the program. - Amen.
33:18 A lawn supervisor, Teresa is a supervisor and she was married
33:21 in 2000. Craig is a lawn super- visor and he just got married
33:25 in June. And we have Wayne, who is not only a remodeling
33:29 contractor, but he is a counselor for the program.
33:31 We have two guys who are counseling the guys and his
33:34 wife is what we call a family liaison.
33:36 Because when the clients come in, the mothers have
33:40 problems, or other wives have problems and she has gone
33:43 through all that, so she's able to help them.
33:45 We had this guy Steve, Steve when he came into
33:48 the program I said, this guy can hardly write.
33:51 Steve went and got his AA degree, his counseling
33:54 certificate, his BS degree, and in June he got
33:57 his M.A. degree as a social worker now.
34:00 Wow, and what I have to say to encourage anybody
34:04 watching us that has addictions, that has anything that is
34:08 keeping them from fulfilling what they think God wants
34:11 them to do in their life, is that you have got to trust
34:14 God and turn it over. - that's right.
34:16 It's not even turn it over, like when I came off the
34:18 street I was illiterate, so not only turn it over in
34:21 a sense that I don't even know the next step but
34:23 I know You have a plan for my life.
34:25 That you actually want to wow me. And God does.
34:29 He wows us. - right, right.
34:31 Anything else before we opened it up for questions?
34:33 Anything else you want us to know about the program and
34:36 I know that if somebody needs the program it's called
34:39 Drug Alternative Program, they can get in touch with
34:41 us and we will get them in touch with you.
34:43 It is amazing what you guys do for the men that come.
34:47 I want to tell you we have four houses. - wow.
34:50 The Lord literally gave us those houses.
34:53 The first two houses are totally paid for, and the third
34:57 house we got it and 97, and we paid for it in 18 months.
35:01 But let me tell you what happened. - can I ask you
35:03 Freddie, I'm sorry to interrupt, why did God do that for
35:05 you? - because we are helping other people.
35:07 Well I wanted you to say that because people are watching
35:11 us and saying why did God do that for them?
35:13 He wants to do that for all of us, and He will make things
35:15 happen like giving you houses and doing all that stuff.
35:18 Here you walked away from your job and end up with nothing,
35:20 and He said let me pour all back into your life.
35:22 And I just want to say out loud, God wants to do that
35:25 for each of us. - that's right. - and all we have to
35:27 say, all right, I'm done. I'm done with my stuff.
35:31 I think the main thing we need to do is like Moses.
35:36 He had to put his foot in that water to make it move.
35:40 He had to have faith, and everything that we have done,
35:45 I have done in faith. Don't have no money, didn't have
35:50 no money to get no house, - God has a plan.
35:52 I always ask the Lord, Lord You do this in a way that
35:56 I know it's from You.
35:58 We just stepped out there not having any money.
36:03 A lot of people who you know bought this truck, paid for
36:06 the truck, the next thing you know you buy a house.
36:09 You cannot buy a house in Loma Linda or in Southern
36:13 California under $400,000, there is no way.
36:16 And all of them are paid for. - except transition house,
36:20 the board said we need to rent this house for four years
36:24 and he said we need to buy a house.
36:26 You have got to tell them shortly how we got the
36:28 transition house, we just bought it.
36:30 I think in the beginning, we did this, it's in a cul-de-sac
36:37 and house two is in that cul-de-sac.
36:41 Well the house across the street, we did their yards for
36:46 Michael and Judy, we did their yard.
36:49 - from a lawn service. - about eight or nine years.
36:54 I just got along, they knew about us, no problems.
36:59 In fact her sister lived next door across the street from
37:03 us and I've got to tell you this, please, I've got to tell
37:08 you this. - all right, I've got to hear it.
37:09 The man next door when I bought that house, I went to tell
37:13 the neighbors we are moving in here and we are going to
37:18 be your neighbors. The man next door, he went off on me.
37:22 You see that sign out there, beware of the dog,
37:26 you better beware of me.
37:28 I'm going to get a petition and get you out of here,
37:30 I don't know why they let you in here anyway.
37:34 Okay, okay. - because of the guys you had? - yes.
37:37 Because of the program, do you know what?
37:40 The man has come to church with us, got up and spoke at
37:45 Church, Freddie has the Bible, she's a prayer partner
37:50 with Freddie now, and always tells us bring the guys over.
37:53 We want to have a pool party for the fellas.
37:57 We do his lawn now - all the guys? - yes all the guys
38:02 and Clifford, he asked me one time, he said Clifford,
38:07 he came to me and said I want to talk to you.
38:10 I said yes, I said yes what can I do for you?
38:13 He said, how do you have a relationship with Jesus?
38:18 He asked me that. - right.
38:21 So he has been to church with us, but back to the story
38:23 about the house. - hold on before you even go there.
38:26 Go back to the story when you opened up the show and
38:28 we talked about that we are a letter, as if Christ wrote
38:31 Himself on us to send us out. That's what he saw in you.
38:36 Across the street, this was not this past Christmas,
38:40 but the Christmas before.
38:42 Anthony came to me and said Clifford, they all call me
38:46 Mr. Harris, he said Mr. Harris lets have a breakfast on
38:51 Christmas morning and a party for Jesus.
38:54 He said everybody gets gifts but Jesus, and this is
38:59 supposed to be His birthday. Okay, alright!
39:02 I'll fix a big breakfast, Freddie said, maybe I'll invite
39:08 Judy and Michael. Wait a minute, I knew they were selling
39:13 their house and the board had already told me let's find
39:18 a house, - and we never thought about their house.
39:20 They had me to come in, she wanted me to do this to the
39:24 yard, and this in cleaning it up because they're getting
39:28 ready to put the whole house on the market.
39:29 I never thought to say let me look at your house.
39:33 Because we are looking for house, right across the street.
39:37 Okay, never asked them, so they came, Freddie invited them
39:41 to the breakfast and we set the table and they set the
39:45 table and we had a plate for Jesus and nobody sat in the
39:48 seat, this was a breakfast for Jesus.
39:51 So they came, we had testimonies and all that.
39:56 So the next day we left on our way to Alabama, got in the
40:02 truck and went to Alabama.
40:03 They were so impressed, because they have decided they
40:06 were going to give 10 or $15,000 towards the transition
40:09 house, but they were so impressed they decided we want
40:12 you to have our house. - oh man!
40:14 They called us and said, we want to sell you a house and
40:18 we'll sell it to you for principle only, no interest.
40:23 - that is amazing. - they will carry the note.
40:26 - they will carry the note. - no way. And only God can
40:29 do that. - yes, and they are young they're not 70-80
40:33 they're like in their 50s.
40:35 So Cliff asked why are you doing this? He said you know
40:38 Cliff I am so impressed with your Drug Alternative Program
40:41 we have been watching you guys for all these years and see
40:43 how you help people, government doesn't help you,
40:46 and we want to do more so we want you to have our house.
40:49 So we moved in, in March.
40:52 We're going to open it up for questions, but I just have
40:55 to say that one thing I hope somebody hears during this
40:59 program, is the fact that Jesus wants to get us out of
41:02 recovery, I mean into recovery. He wants to heal us.
41:05 He wants to walk us into an incredible life and give
41:08 you an incredible wife that you don't deserve.
41:11 And all that stuff, then say I have to move you from the
41:15 successful life into dependence on Me, and then into
41:19 where I can bless you and you can bless other people.
41:22 I always say somebody will say Cheri, I don't even know what
41:25 my ministry is, surrender to God and He will show you and
41:29 open every door, and give you stuff.
41:31 He gave us a ranch, same kind of thing, I'm just thinking
41:34 a ranch I don't even know how to do horses and He gave us
41:37 nine horses, then taught me and then we started working
41:40 with children that their parents were in jail and
41:42 teaching them to ride and I thought God you are good.
41:45 I just want to say, again were going to open it up for
41:48 questions, but if you are watching this show, I beg you
41:51 to trust God, I beg you because He wants to bless you.
41:54 He wants to wow you with His love for you.
41:57 I'm telling you, you can't be out wowed.
42:01 God is just amazing. So I'm going to open it up.
42:04 Does anybody have any questions, anything they want to ask?
42:08 It's not so much a question as a comment. You were
42:12 talking earlier about how you said you asked God why
42:16 are you doing this for me? I don't deserve it.
42:18 Me coming out of the drug scene, I'm doing that now.
42:22 I mean it's amazing because things have happened since
42:26 I've came back to the Lord, it's like why do I deserve this?
42:29 I don't deserve this and these things are happening to me
42:32 and that's when you know that it's from God, you know it.
42:35 That is the only person that can do it.
42:37 Do you know why? Because you belong to Him. He's yours.
42:42 He wants to redeem you, He wants to save you.
42:45 But the key is, you have to make the choice to accept
42:49 His gift, you had to open up your heart and reach out
42:53 and that is all it takes, that is all it takes.
42:56 The Holy Spirit has impressed your heart to do whatever
43:00 you do. - but you know Freddie, I think Curly,
43:02 what I have learned about God, not only does He want to
43:06 redeem me, but He wants to teach me to laugh out loud.
43:09 Do you know what I mean? I used to think that
43:11 He just wants me to do the right thing and tow the line,
43:14 and do the commandments, and all that stuff is a gift but
43:17 He says I want you to laugh out loud. I want you to love,
43:20 I want you to take a breath and just feel good about being
43:23 alive. - turn somersaults, I like that. - exactly.
43:25 To delight in Me.
43:27 I want to say this. - yes! - when you go to heaven how
43:30 do you think you're going to act after that?
43:33 How are you going to act if you go to heaven?
43:36 If you get in that gate what do you think you are going to
43:40 do? -Hopefully I'll act just as silly as I do now.
43:44 That's right, you will be jumping, and shouting for joy.
43:47 I don't think you are going to be sitting there, oh thank
43:51 you Jesus, I'm so glad to be here. - no, no!
43:55 No! I'm going to be happy and what are we going to do honey?
43:59 - shout! - shout, give me one honey.
44:02 Listen to this, somebody was telling me that the angels
44:05 around the throne of God, 24/7, holy, holy, holy.
44:08 As a new addict in recovery I'm thinking 24/7, are you
44:11 kidding me? They said, oh you just have not heard the
44:14 rest of it honey, and I said what is that?
44:16 They said they yell holy, holy, holy, and every time they
44:19 tried to get up to do anything else, God does something
44:21 else and they are like, holy smokes that was good.
44:24 Oh holy, holy, holy.
44:27 So I'm thinking how fun is that?
44:29 Okay, Larry did you have a question?
44:31 Well I, I have a problem. When my mother and father,
44:35 when I was an infant rather my mother and father separated
44:38 and then when I was two years old they got divorced.
44:41 As far as I can remember I had a problem with trust.
44:44 I have not been able to trust, even now I have a problem
44:47 with trust. You talk about how quick you changed,
44:50 how did you do that? How did you know when God was
44:53 talking and somebody wasn't setting you up? To me
44:56 everybody was setting me up, how did you know that it was
45:00 God talking to you? I mean coming from I've never trusted
45:03 anybody, anything I ever heard I didn't trust it.
45:06 So how did you know that quick? It seems like it
45:08 happened like that (snapped finger) for you.
45:11 You know you ask me you know how do I trust, I think it is
45:15 something that you build on.
45:17 The first time you step out in faith, okay Lord, You do
45:22 this for me, and it happens.
45:25 The next time you have more faith, but you almost stand
45:29 back and kind of look at your self and make sure it might
45:34 happen, but if it doesn't then you know you still can
45:39 make it. But as I went along, I knew the Lord has always
45:45 taken care of me. I had to tell her one-time, how
45:47 we going to pay the bills, we don't have no money yet.
45:51 Freddie said, don't worry about it, the Lord has taken
45:55 care of us in the past and He will do it now.
46:00 He's not going to fail us now.
46:01 You know if you are being faithful to Jesus, remember
46:06 this, if you are faithful He is going to take care of you.
46:11 - Amen. - He will. You know one thing He always says?
46:16 Don't ask for little things, ask for big things.
46:20 I want to do something great for you, I am God.
46:25 You know Lord, - help me find my car keys.
46:30 Oh this is the one about car keys, this one right here.
46:35 She will lose them, Freddie are you going to search for
46:40 your car keys? Oh they'll show up, the Lord will show
46:43 them to me, and they'll come maybe the next day.
46:47 She has faith in that.
46:49 But I have faith, I know the Lord is going to bless us
46:54 in a mighty way or in some way at all.
46:56 You know another thing I know? And I believe this,
47:00 I believe God is going to save me. - Amen.
47:03 Do you know that? - yep, I believe it.
47:07 I know I can't save myself, I can't.
47:10 If He has brought me thus far, and has saved me from all
47:15 this stuff, I should be dead now more than once.
47:18 I OD'd three times, I should be dead.
47:23 But Lord if you have brought me this far, I'm still
47:28 messing up, You are going to save me. - Amen.
47:31 So you've got to learn how to trust. Do you know another
47:34 way you can do it? Get to know who Jesus is.
47:38 You know one book I would recommend that you read?
47:41 - what's that? - 'Desire of Ages'.
47:43 Did you ever open that book? Did I open the book?
47:48 You know on the last show you talked about having it by
47:51 your bed side in jail, but never opened it,
47:55 so eventually you opened it? It's my favorite book too.
47:58 I was reading Desire of Ages too and he was reading
48:00 Desire of Ages and we came together and that is a favorite
48:03 book is Desire of Ages. Read it man.
48:05 I've got to say too, the Bible says, to remember every
48:09 single thing God has done for you in the past so that
48:12 when you are struggling with anything that you will build
48:15 faith. So build your trust, build your confidence in Him.
48:18 Guess what I'm doing? I write letters to God.
48:21 I have written letters to God for 20 years.
48:24 So now I am writing a book, teaching ladies, that God can
48:28 take care of your mental, physical, spiritual, and
48:30 emotional needs and using my letters as an example.
48:33 So pray for me as I write this book. - Amen.
48:35 But you know what? even with that, being able to go back and
48:38 look on what you have written and how He answered that and
48:41 how He blessed you. Just being able to say, God I have
48:44 to remember the times You have blessed me and the things
48:47 You have done for me in my life so that when I am in doubt
48:50 of any kind, when I have difficulties trusting, when I do
48:54 crash, I can say, you know what? He was faithful yesterday. Amen.
48:59 So Fa'asoa you have a question?
49:01 Yes, sort of two prong Mr. Harris.
49:04 That is, I'm certain there are fathers out there that are
49:10 watching this program, and children watching this program.
49:15 What advice would you give them? Mr. Harris, being through
49:20 the things you have gone through and at the point where your son,
49:25 as you have said, your son looked at you and said daddy
49:30 this is where you have gone to jail because of doing this.
49:33 What would you say, what advice would you give to these
49:37 daddies and these children? If they are watching this
49:41 program. - what advice I would give them? - yes to
49:44 stay away when in the midst of that decision, should I go rob
49:48 a bank with this friend of mine, or should I not?
49:53 God has put us as parents is to be examples to set an
49:58 example for our children, and I think it is one thing
50:03 I have failed my children on in a sense,
50:07 but the Lord has rescued me from that.
50:12 Take advantage of the right that you have now, that God
50:18 has given you to be the father that they need to be.
50:22 Just like you with your daughter, you are loving her,
50:27 and I noticed this today, you are tender with her, and she
50:32 is loving you, now is the time to nurture that child.
50:36 Okay? because God is going to come up one of these days
50:40 and say, what did you do for that child?
50:44 I have guys in the program who really done their children
50:49 wrong man, so my advice is to just love your children.
50:54 Just be there for your children.
50:57 Be the father and set an example, but you have to have
51:01 Christ in your life, you know?
51:04 He will lead you to be the father you need to be.
51:07 I have to also say one thing too, is that for people that
51:10 like myself that got lost in addictions, and lost in all
51:14 that, is God has the miraculous ability to reconcile
51:18 you to children, that it shouldn't even work out ever.
51:21 Your children should never trust you again but yet God says no,
51:24 no, no, I want to heal your whole family.
51:26 I want to bring everything together so if you are out
51:30 there and you are using and you are afraid that God can't
51:33 do anything, or that there's too much separation,
51:35 that is a lie.
51:37 God is bigger than all that and can bring healing into
51:40 places and make it even better.
51:42 He says every single thing that ever has happened to you
51:45 I actually will turn all that to good, not that it was
51:48 good I'll turn all that to good and bless your children.
51:52 Second part of my question, maybe a comment rather is
51:56 that I am currently attending a university, a Christian
51:59 university and a lot of my colleagues, or classmates
52:02 I am sure struggle with the issue of faith.
52:04 Since you brought up this faith part in your amazing
52:08 story, what can you share with them in helping them
52:12 to trust in God, the God that you both have seen work
52:15 through your lives amazingly. What can you say to them?
52:19 You know I think trust comes out of a relationship with
52:23 Christ, you know in this ministry sometimes, and you do
52:27 it too I'm sure, you get so busy helping other people, going
52:30 here and there and I read something by Oswald Chambers
52:35 where he says, he says activity is the unrecognized
52:40 symptom of spiritual weakness. - wow.
52:43 Been busy is an unrecognized symptom of spiritual weakness
52:47 and we have found in this ministry that we get so busy,
52:50 busy helping all drug addicts and I get to thinking
52:53 You know, how much time have I spent with Christ?
52:56 So my answer is, spending that quality time with Christ.
53:00 Getting to know Him, that is what builds my faith.
53:04 While I'm falling in love with Him and being obedient to
53:08 Him, He's taken care of DAP, He's taking care of your TV
53:12 show, so my key is more time with Christ.
53:16 People say more prayer more power, I say more time
53:20 more power, little time little power, no time no power.
53:24 So the key I think in building up your faith is spending
53:27 that quality time with God getting to know Him.
53:29 But you know what I learned too, and I just want to throw
53:32 this in, is I thought that I loved God, I thought
53:35 everything was all right with my relationship with God
53:38 and then I found the Holy Spirit everyday and now
53:41 I know what love truly is.
53:42 So really turn it over and ask Him to fill you up and
53:45 do that, you know what? We are out of time.
53:48 We're out of time? I know, doesn't it go by too fast?
53:50 I just have to say you guys come back.
53:53 - we have to come back! - alright, alright!
53:55 And you too, come back.
53:57 I want a hug too. - okay.
54:00 You know what? Stay tuned, we will be right back!
54:07 Amazing stories of real people in real situations discussing
54:11 issues that really matter.
54:12 A complete first season of Celebrating Life In Recover is
54:16 now available on DVD and can be ordered by calling 3ABN
54:19 or online at 3ABN.org hosted by Cheri Peters.
54:23 This season follows principles of the book
54:26 'Steps to Christ'.
54:27 See for yourself how God changed the lives of the
54:29 convicted and the accused and victims of terrible crimes.
54:32 You won't want to miss a moment of these powerful interviews.
54:36 I've got to finish this story with my husband and the
54:39 computer because I think it's hilarious the way God works
54:42 with us because I really got convicted when I found out
54:46 that not only did I manipulate him with a computer and
54:49 really play him with that, and my daughter is learning
54:52 to do that with her father and more than likely with her
54:56 boyfriends and all that stuff, I thought God forgive me.
55:00 I just wanted to stop. I went to Brad, Brad we've been
55:03 married almost 19 years and he has only been a Christian
55:06 the last few years and I have prayed for him for
55:09 14 years straight to be a Christian.
55:10 I said, you know what? I'm so sorry that I wait until
55:13 you become a Christian and I am still manipulating you
55:16 and undermining you as a man of God.
55:18 So I felt bad, and I started crying, and I'm like
55:21 I'm so sorry and please forgive me.
55:24 Every single time I even touch this computer, I need to
55:27 take it back because when I touch this computer
55:30 I feel guilty and it makes me think of all that.
55:32 He said, every time you touch the computer you feel
55:35 guilty and you think of all this? I said yes.
55:37 He said, you better keep that computer.
55:39 So I thought how funny is that? That he says,
55:42 learn from that and keep it.
55:44 I think God just wows me with that.
55:46 I'm going to read a statement out of a book called,
55:49 'Steps To Christ', Ellen White's writings.
55:51 It says that many walk along the path of life, dwell
55:55 upon their mistakes and their failures, their disappointments
55:57 and their hearts are filled with grief and discouragement
56:00 While I was in Europe a sister who had been doing this
56:04 who was deep into distress and wrote me and asking for some
56:07 word of encouragement. The night after I had read her
56:10 letter I dreamed I was in the garden, the one that seems
56:13 to be the owner of the garden was walking along and
56:16 they were walking along this pathway.
56:17 They saw all these incredible flowers and all this kind of
56:20 stuff and this particular woman, instead of looking at
56:23 the flowers and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers and all
56:27 that stuff, she was like looking at, my goodness look at
56:30 all these thorns, and look at all these weeds, and look at
56:33 all the stuff and she started moaning and grieving.
56:37 She was not walking on the pathway at all,
56:38 she was like way out of the path.
56:41 She wasn't following the guide she was walking amongst
56:44 thorns and she was like oh isn't it a pity that this
56:47 beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns?
56:50 And the guide said, Jesus said, let the thorns alone for
56:53 they will only worry you, they will only get in your way.
56:57 Look at the flowers, look at those kind of things.
57:00 I think in our life He does the same thing with us.
57:03 We have all this stuff in our background, and things are
57:05 going to come up and that is just the way it is.
57:08 But God says, you know what? Look at the flowers.
57:10 Look at the good things, remember how you have been
57:12 blessed and let that strengthen you.
57:15 He promises you that He will fulfill in you everything
57:19 He says He will and He will walk you right into recovery
57:22 and then you will stand up and walk
57:25 someone else into recovery.
57:26 God says that is who I am and that is how I bless you.
57:30 The next show is going to be about the Holy Spirit in
57:33 recovery and I am so thrilled about that so until next
57:37 time I want you to remember, always remember that
57:39 God is crazy about you and me too.
57:41 See you next time!


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Revised 2014-12-17