Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Morrison
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR000018
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00:11 Welcome to Celebrating Life In Recovery,
00:12 my name is Cheri and I am your host. 00:14 Today we have a family here you will love. 00:17 And what we are going to look at is normal, all it's 00:19 cracked up to be? 00:21 Come on in and you decide. 00:50 You know it's really funny when I first came into 00:52 the church, into my first part of recovery, 00:55 I thought everybody was going to be normal, of course 00:59 except for my family. 01:00 I want to remind people about my family. 01:02 My father died seven months ago in a drug house strung up 01:06 on crack, and what I want to say when I say that is that 01:09 I love my father. 01:11 He was a molester and we had a lot of damage, but my 01:14 prayer was someday that he would be changed. 01:16 So it was a really hard thing to deal with. 01:19 But my stepfather who I have known since I was four years 01:22 old I absolutely adore him, is strung out to this day. 01:26 Alcoholics, 6' 1" less than 100 pounds, liver shutting down, 01:31 lungs are shutting down, can't walk across the room without 01:33 losing his breath, without having difficulty. 01:37 My younger sister is a meth addict and has been doing 01:40 that for ever, her teeth are rotted out. 01:42 She is about 85 pounds and has Aplastic anemia and 01:46 can't produce bone marrow anymore because the 01:48 meth is so intense. 01:50 She is psychotic, when I speak to her now I know that 01:53 I am not speaking to my sister, I'm speaking to a drug. 01:57 I haven't been able to speak to her for a long time so 01:59 our family background is very intense. 02:03 My sister that is closest to me in age that is younger, 02:06 was a stripper and all that so my family is very 02:09 dysfunctional, very damaged. 02:13 For a lot of you, you know that I ended up homeless at 02:15 13 years old and so it just got more and more 02:18 complicated from that point on. 02:20 But when I found Christ, I find Jesus and it's really 02:24 funny to me, I'm in a drug house trying to kill myself 02:27 and He adores me, absolutely adores me. 02:30 And I'm like shut up how fun is that. 02:32 How cool is it that the God of the universe says, Cheri 02:36 I think you are beautiful and I want to walk you into 02:38 recovery, I want to teach you how to be not even normal. 02:44 How to be incredible, how to be fabulous, and I didn't 02:47 even realize what that meant. 02:49 The layers of damage that He was going to walk me through. 02:52 So we are going to talk about some of that stuff, but we 02:54 are going to talk about the recovery, not from drugs on 02:58 this show, and we have a lot of times talked about drugs, 03:01 alcohol, sexual addiction and those kind of addictions 03:03 that are very obvious. 03:05 Stealing, gambling, workaholism and all that stuff. 03:09 Perfectionism, maybe we will cover some of those on this 03:13 show, but we are going to talk about addictions that are 03:18 more normal, that you see all around you in normal 03:23 families or in normal churches. 03:25 I've got tell you that I thought that mine was harder 03:29 to struggle with, forgive me for thinking that. 03:33 You know what you guys, what I want to say is my 03:36 addictions are obvious. 03:38 When I go back and say I was trashed because I was beaten 03:43 or raped, I have an event I can point to all that stuff. 03:47 Some people do not have anything they can point to, it 03:49 just is this overwhelming sense of something is wrong. 03:52 Those kind of families systems, that kind of recovery. 03:54 And what is fun about that is that the recovery and the 03:58 things we have to do, whether it is really dysfunctional 04:02 or where it looks more normal, the recovery is the same. 04:07 God wants to bring victory to both systems and it is 04:11 amazing to me, if you are in a more normal family and you 04:15 feel twisted and don't know why, stay with us because it 04:19 is so much fun to realize that God wants to heal us. 04:22 I'm going to introduce you to Pastor Wayne Morrison. 04:27 And Michelle Morrison and I want to say thank you so much 04:29 for being on the show. 04:30 Our pleasure, good to be here. 04:32 You know I love you guys. - I love you too. 04:35 The first time we met we were at the Indianapolis Camp 04:39 meeting, right? - that's right. 04:40 I got to do the kids - the youth tent. 04:43 We had kids coming up and one kid even gave us his weed 04:48 on that Camp Meeting. - yes. 04:50 When someone gives you their weed, you know that you have 04:54 really vindicated God. 04:57 We have talked about recovery, we set there and dealt 05:00 with people, kids that were hallucinating, kids were hearing 05:04 voices, kids that had divorce issues. 05:06 What was amazing when you guys as Pastors came over to do 05:11 an anointing, could you tell a little bit about that night? 05:14 To me that was incredible. 05:16 It was, it was an incredible experience. 05:18 To see kids come before a Pastor and be willing to say 05:26 I need help with this, for them to be open and honest was 05:30 incredible for me and then to be able to lay hands on 05:33 them and pray for them, it was an awesome night. 05:37 We had one kid that came up and what was interesting 05:40 about this kid is that his father left when he was three 05:44 years old, and when his father left he said immediately 05:47 he started hearing voices and felt like 05:49 he wasn't worth anything. 05:51 Those voices that first became his friend because of his 05:55 abandonment and I think it was the devil himself, 05:57 the demons were just harassing this kid. 05:58 He said over the years the voices turned on him and he 06:02 pleaded with us to pray for him, to do an anointing. 06:05 I do not know which Pastor anointed him, but the next day 06:08 he came in with tears and said he hadn't heard voices all 06:11 night for the first time since he was three years old. 06:13 I thought God, I love you. 06:16 So to me this whole series is the Holy Spirit recovery 06:20 and the fact that God wants to step into our lives 06:22 and wants to heal us. 06:24 At that camp meeting I really felt that was so on the 06:27 table, but then I got to hang out with you guys. 06:31 I was so intimidated, because how cool are you guys? 06:34 I thought from hanging out with both of you I just felt 06:42 that in each of your own ways you love God and lean so on God. 06:49 As a couple I felt that and then I met your family, 06:51 and we will meet them today, we met your family and 06:54 I thought this is the most normal family 06:57 I have ever seen. 06:58 I just want to be adopted by them. - you are. 07:01 The more I've gotten to know you, the more that we have 07:07 hung out together you both shared personal things about 07:12 where God has brought you and the 07:14 struggles that you have. 07:15 And the first time you shared with me, it was over at your 07:20 place for both of you were sitting there and I remember 07:22 in my mind thinking God, you work with everybody and 07:26 we all have issues. 07:27 Even the most normal folks have issues and what I respect 07:31 about them more healthy of the normal folks I meet is that they 07:36 are willing to give it to God and that God help them. 07:37 So I want you to share your testimony with us, 07:40 and I want to hear all of it. - The whole thing? 07:44 Like what you did before you became a Pastor, what drove 07:47 you to that, and what kind of struggles you had. 07:50 You know Cheri several months ago we did a series 07:54 in our church and what I was speaking about was exactly 07:59 what you were just mentioning. 08:01 I think it is really important for us to remember 08:03 that there is no one person any messed up 08:06 then any another person. 08:07 Some of these things are more visible and 08:09 we can see them easily, but all of us have issues that 08:13 we have to deal with. 08:14 I remember saying in church one day, I think it was right 08:18 after you came, after you did that seminar. 08:21 I just said we are either dealing with their issues or 08:27 we are in denial and I think that is true for everybody. 08:30 The problem is that we can hide those issues so much 08:33 better if we wear the right kind of mask and go to church 08:37 with a big smile on her face and everything looks good, 08:40 and we can be fighting all the way to church. 08:41 We can get out of the car and say happy Sabbath. 08:44 A friend of mine, he is a famous artist, an incredible 08:47 guy, does all the Signs of the Times and the Quarterlies 08:50 and does all the artwork for that. 08:51 But he has those little cartoon that I love. 08:54 The cartoon is a foyer of a church and everybody looks like 08:58 they just came off World War I, or off from Iraq and 09:02 just got bleeding and bandaged up. 09:04 Some are limping in and some are barely making it. 09:08 And other people are leaning up against the wall and stuff. 09:11 Somebody says, hey Joe how ya doing? 09:14 And Joe says I'm doing good. 09:18 And they are so trashed, and what I love about what 09:22 you're saying now is that we have the privilege as 09:25 Christians, to walk out of our injuries. 09:27 God says I promise you if you trust Me 09:31 I will walk you out of them. 09:32 To not let them mask keep us from walking into the health. 09:38 We hold a mask up so nobody can see we are having trouble and 09:42 yet it keeps us from healing. 09:44 There are the different ways that we get those and that 09:47 is what Michele and I have found out. 09:49 We except lies, speaking about the voice, we except lies 09:55 in our life that keep us from moving forward. 09:57 - nobody will like you if you be yourself. 10:00 - or what will really make me happy is, that is where 10:02 I guess my own story would begin and I haven't really 10:05 told that very often. - so we have an exclusive? 10:09 I love that, all right, come on. 10:12 I just decided at a young age, my dad is a Pastor 10:16 and wasn't going to be a Pastor. 10:18 I can't really ever remember hearing a voice that said 10:22 Wayne you need to be a Pastor, but now when I look back 10:25 I remember there were times when I know for sure God was 10:28 calling me but I determined in my heart and my mind 10:32 that there was a picture that I wanted for my life. 10:34 I was going to be very successful businessman and so 10:36 I set out on a path towards that, I was so anxious to 10:40 accomplish all that that I quit school I was in college 10:44 for a few weeks and decided I was going to do it the fast way. 10:48 I went home and started working, today when 10:52 I look back there are two significant events that 10:58 tell me I was wrestling. 11:00 When I was back there was even listening, 11:01 I couldn't even hear it. 11:02 One was I was 12 years old and my cousin was killed in 11:07 a car accident, he was 2. 11:08 I remember negotiating with God in prayer during that 11:13 time because I am watching the people that I love just 11:15 being ripped apart so I remember negotiating with God 11:19 if You will raise him back to life, 11:22 I will become a minister. 11:24 Why would I say that if I hadn't been wrestling 11:26 with the calling like that. 11:28 Then another time when I was 17 or 18 one of my best 11:31 friends was killed in a car accident and I remember 11:33 doing the exact same thing, going through this 11:35 negotiation point where I believe that God has the 11:37 power to raise people to life, and I'm saying if You will 11:41 raise this friend of mine, then I will surrender 11:45 my life and become a Pastor. 11:46 Those never clicked with me for some reason until much 11:51 later and so we decided, I decided I was going to be in 11:56 business and I was going to serve God. 11:58 - had you guys met already Michele? 12:00 We were about 14 and he had this 40-year-old goal of 12:07 being a millionaire and it was like I was serving God 12:11 and that was so not God. 12:15 A millionaire what is this? And yet there was this part of 12:18 me that wanted to be successful and have all the bells 12:23 and whistles and he was a hard worker and I knew that he 12:27 could do it, I just knew it so it was like he will 12:29 provide for me in the way I am accustomed. 12:31 Thank God took over because when you are Jonah and 12:34 you are running from God, you get caught in the middle 12:38 of a stormy sea and our lives were the stormy seas almost 12:42 from the beginning. - from the beginning, so when you 12:43 talk about going into the business and wanting to be 12:48 successful, were you successful? 12:51 What did you get into? 12:52 I suppose in a way we were successful. 12:55 We started in construction. 12:57 - did you give her bells and whistles and new cars? 12:59 We tried, it was all on borrowed money so it didn't go 13:03 very far, but we tried. 13:05 For most of us isn't that true? - yeah, yeah. 13:07 We tried to accomplish or we try to create the mask. 13:12 We create the picture of what we want. 13:14 For many of us the only way we can do that is with 13:17 credit, which just kills us because ultimately trying to 13:21 keep up with what we are doing destroys our life. 13:25 It drives us then and so it look good probably for a lot 13:30 of people, as they looked it probably looked good but it 13:33 wasn't, it wasn't great. 13:34 We were stressed, we were under a lot of pressure and 13:37 we weren't really experiencing happiness. 13:39 So we were in construction for a while and then we went 13:43 into the printing business, we were in the printing 13:45 business for many years and failed, failed miserably. 13:50 Started over again in construction. 13:54 Can I ask you, one thing when I look back on my recovery 13:59 when I look back on even being out there and so far away 14:03 from God, I can see and hear God speak to me but from this 14:08 perspective back, during the time you were doing the business 14:12 did you sense that God was saying Hon? 14:14 - I wasn't listening, you know aw we visited earlier today we 14:19 were talking about hearing God's voice and I think for too 14:24 many of us we know we want and so while we think we are 14:27 following God we are really walking our own path. 14:29 In fact I just met with some body this week who said to me 14:32 how do you really know when you are hearing God's voice? 14:34 How do you know what His will really is for your life? 14:36 I think it is hard for us because we don't listen. 14:39 We have a picture of what we want and we're set on it. 14:42 Because we serve God, because we go to church, or because 14:45 we attend a Bible study and we say we are Christian 14:48 we think that is God's will. 14:50 It's going to make me happy and it's got to be God's will. 14:52 So why pray instead of praying for Him to reveal His 14:55 will, I pray for Him to bless His will I have determined 14:58 in my life for me and it's upside down. 15:02 It brings misery. - so when you say misery, you guys 15:07 were stressed, you guys were fighting, because you got 15:10 into a nursing field, was that during this time? 15:13 Or were you in business? 15:14 In nursing school when we got married and he supported us 15:20 while I was in school, he was working construction. 15:22 Then we moved from Chattanooga where I was in school up 15:26 to Iowa and we were going to be there just a short period 15:29 of time and we be-bobbed back up to Minnesota, to home. 15:32 We got stuck there for 14 years, no offense to lowans. 15:36 But we wanted to go home, and we got there and that was 15:41 when the recession, the early 80s, interest rates were 15:47 high and everything Wayne knew how to he couldn't do because 15:50 there was no building going on. 15:51 So his dad had a printing press that was from Oak Park 15:55 Academy and he had bought it so we started this business. 16:00 It was always a struggle, it was a struggle for the next 16:05 six or seven years because you can sleep, eat, 16:08 the weather doesn't matter when you are printing. 16:12 So that is where he started burying himself not only in 16:15 business, but in church work. 16:18 During that time we had kid after kid after kid in 16:20 quick succession, - because you have a thousand kids. 16:23 Well not right then, we just had three but they came 16:25 really quick, they came quick. 16:27 The other thousand - they came later. 16:31 During that time I'm watching him do the leadership 16:38 Christian thing and totally give himself in terms of 16:42 church, he was an elder at less than 25 years old. 16:45 He was busy on the weekends doing motor-cross and doing 16:51 that every single Sunday within a five or six hour event. 16:55 So church never left, even though you were driven with 16:59 business church never left? - no, no. 17:01 But was it a relationship, or was it just part of the 17:06 drive-ness, the image. - No it was just part of the picture. 17:11 I knew what I needed to do and I knew where 17:12 I needed to be but it was part of the picture. 17:15 You know the masks, something I thought of while Michelle was 17:19 just sharing, we have this need to feel good about ourselves. 17:24 So that can drive us to do many different things. 17:27 - for some people that is the definition of addiction. 17:31 Addiction is that I will do whatever it takes to do 17:33 a mood altering change to feel good about myself, 17:36 to feel joy and all that stuff. 17:39 That is why when you were talking about business and 17:42 success and all that stuff is that luckily you didn't 17:46 grab heroin, if you know what I mean. 17:48 What you did was grab this image and that image became 17:52 the relationship you have with this image. 17:55 Like I said I was lucky that I didn't have to ever 17:58 drink because if I had that would have probably been an 18:00 addiction for me, but work was. 18:03 When I talk to you the first time is that I thought it 18:07 would be incredible, it is incredible for God to get us 18:10 to a point were we are willing at all to take the mask 18:13 off, because we think if we take this mask off I am 18:16 nothing, what will I do, what will I be, what will 18:20 people think and God keeps saying, you are fabulous. 18:22 This mask is ugly if you know what I mean. 18:26 We have it glued to our face. 18:28 I think we hold onto it so tight because we are afraid 18:34 to trust God, most of us will say we trust God but 18:38 we are really afraid because we have decided that this 18:41 and this and this is going to make me happy. 18:42 When God asks us to release that, we say no, no, no you 18:47 don't understand this makes me happy. 18:49 What God is saying is let go and let me show 18:51 you what real happiness is. 18:53 All of a sudden I am confronted with this picture that I 18:56 don't trust God when I thought I was already serving Him. 18:59 - let me show you where recovery it is. 19:01 That's right. - so when I'm talking to you guys, 19:05 how did you get out from underneath that image? 19:09 Was it a crises, you know most of us aren't smart enough 19:13 to just say this is not working. 19:15 Unfortunately for Michelle and I. we are both very 19:19 strong-willed children, and so it was a long journey for 19:23 us, it took along time for us to come to a broken point. 19:28 So now you have three kids now, - I'm dying inside. 19:34 Everything that I wanted in life was a happy family, 19:38 a Christian husband, that we we both believe the same way 19:42 because I didn't grow up in a home that way. 19:44 I'm after that and we are doing all the things that the 19:49 church says, we are reading our Bibles, we're praying, 19:52 were going to church all the time and bringing our kids. 19:54 It is not working, I'm not feeling loved, 19:58 he is never home and I am screaming out and 20:01 it keeps on hitting the fan. 20:03 The fights are escalating and I'm thinking he's just a 20:06 big fake, maybe I'm just a big fake too because 20:09 this is way not working. 20:11 It just escalates to a point where I'm leaving. 20:16 So really escalated to that point, it is interesting as 20:21 you are speaking, both of you have pictures that are 20:24 different. - watch how this works. 20:27 Michelle is feeling empty and I'm doing everything 20:31 I can to fill her cup. 20:33 For me - it was success with your picture. 20:37 That's right, the picture is for me, she needs to be 20:39 loved and the way I show her my love is providing more. 20:41 So I work harder, and I work harder and longer and she 20:45 keeps saying this isn't working, you just don't love me. 20:48 She can't hear me saying I love you, 20:51 what do you mean I'm working all the time, in fact 20:53 I started working all night long. 20:54 The harder I tried to say I love you, the less she heard 20:57 it because for her in order to hear love, I needed 21:01 to spend time with her. - to hang out with me. 21:02 So the harder I tried to say it the less she heard it. 21:05 So we are definitely on a crash course. 21:08 - so on the verge of divorce? 21:10 Yeah I went home and took all my kids with me to get 21:13 mom and dad's. - how many kids? 21:16 Three, and I took off and my mom is fabulous in a crises 21:19 and she starts doing all the right things in nurturing me. 21:23 After about two weeks Wayne wanted to come and get me. 21:28 I'm to the point were okay, I don't want to live alone. 21:31 In my own mind it was that my mom and dad had weathered 21:34 horrendous things and stuck it out so I've got this 21:37 life commitment that we're going to stick no matter what. 21:40 So Wayne comes to pick me up and within just minutes 21:45 it just disintegrates and hopelessness sets in again. 21:48 He decides I'm going in the morning, you can either come 21:54 with me or you can stay. 21:55 If you are staying you are choosing to end this. 21:58 He just went to sleep, we did sleep in the same bed that 22:03 night but I was tossing and turning, I could not sleep. 22:05 In my mind it was like God is not only wrestling with me 22:09 for my marriage, but for my salvation. 22:12 I felt like I had been trying and doing all the stuff 22:15 I think God wants me to do but it isn't working. 22:18 So by morning I came to what I call, the conversion thing. 22:23 It was like everything that I think is the right thing to 22:26 do, obviously God I don't know how to do it. 22:28 Everything is wrong, I don't know how to do this, 22:31 I really don't know how. - step one, I'm powerless. 22:34 Yes, and He got me to that point and then He says, 22:37 just go home with him. 22:39 I remember him asking me if you never feel loved again 22:45 can I be enough for you? 22:47 It's like okay, okay I'll go back with this guy that 22:52 doesn't seem to love me at all and I don't want to break 22:55 my family up either, if he never loves me like I think 22:59 I need to be loved, God can. 23:01 It was like okay I will go home. 23:02 - I'll learn to receive it from You. 23:03 So I went, it wasn't very long before God put people in 23:08 my life, it seemed long but six months before He placed 23:14 me in a group of women to mentor me for 21 years now. 23:19 She has been instrumental, and she had already turned 23:23 around three years before, and we are very much alike 23:26 and how God will pair you up with somebody who is like 23:29 you that is farther down the path, so He can grow you. 23:33 Going back to you for what you are saying too is the 23:37 fact that both of you had healing to do. 23:41 God is doing that now through these women and through 23:44 your commitment to Him. 23:45 You are thinking, I'm trying to do this image and do 23:50 the right thing and I really honestly. 23:52 Because when people say I thought he was such a fake, 23:56 I'm really believe when we have our pictures up and are 23:59 desperately trying to be that, we are desperate. 24:02 We think we are supposed to be that way and we don't 24:05 even know how many masks we have on. 24:06 All heaven is just saying please trust me, let go. 24:11 And you know what our recovery, I think the most 24:15 coolest thing in recovery is saying to God 24:18 I don't even know how to let go. 24:20 Any 12-step group, any recovery group with step one, 24:22 I am powerless, I am out of control, I don't even know 24:25 how to think anymore and You have to do it for me. 24:28 So it is like being able to say that with our pictures 24:31 Our images or whatever, can I surrender that to God? 24:34 So when she is back, how did you get to a place 24:39 where you said, God. 24:41 It would be nice if the story was when she decided that 24:48 I decided that everything was good. 24:50 The first step of recovery is that I am powerless and 24:54 that means that you can begin to change. 24:57 So Michelle did, but I didn't. 24:59 I was still determined. - don't you think it's harder 25:03 for guys because it's a guy thing to be in control. 25:08 No, sometimes I listen to men and I think for men that 25:12 we are in a society where you are supposed to be in 25:15 control, you are supposed to do it and you are strong. 25:19 So the picture is easier to create for guys that says 25:23 as a man I am supposed to be this. 25:26 It is harder to trust God when He says let the picture go. 25:29 We are not supposed to need anybody, we are supposed to 25:32 be the provider, we are not supposed to be weak, we are 25:35 supposed to be the strong one that can be leaned on. 25:39 So it is hard, and it took many months, three years. 25:43 Before it began to happen, and I can't say that there 25:46 was any one night where I wrestled and came up the next 25:51 morning ahead, but slowly God began to lead us down a path. 25:55 I guess I would just encourage guys, the hardest 26:00 one for us to listen to is our wife. 26:03 I used to refer to what she was saying as nagging. 26:08 I had a very negative attitude towards anything she said. 26:12 - Are you ragging on me again, are you nagging me? 26:14 That's our right will be okay. 26:16 We began to try different things. 26:18 We went to a couple seminars, to Bill Goatherds Basic 26:22 Youth Conflicts, we went to Marriage Encounter. 26:26 It was transforming for us. 26:28 - and why, what did they say that worked? 26:31 He said there was no event but there was. 26:34 - men just don't know. - he can't remember. 26:37 Our business failed and it was horrible because he had worked 26:44 nonstop, a round-the-clock for almost 7 years. 26:48 Everything, from what I could tell, men's self esteem was 26:52 wrapped up in their work and especially if that is how you 26:55 are showing your love to your family. 26:57 It's a failed, fail failed and that was the turning point 27:02 at least where he started becoming real with me. 27:06 God placed Marriage Encounter right there at the point of 27:11 brokenness because our relationship hit the fan 27:16 and there was a major honesty issues that came forward and God 27:20 transformed, okay I'm dealing with the real guy now. 27:25 We are transparent, he is being real with me now. 27:29 - what is amazing to me about that? 27:32 Because I've known you guys for just a little bit now, 27:36 a few years I guess. - 4 or five years. 27:38 How cool is that? You know the real guys are awesome. 27:41 That is why I think that we do not even know, even as 27:45 you start dealing with your stuff is that who you are 27:48 underneath all the mask are absolutely awesome and 27:52 we think the mask is what works. 27:54 But when you get to see who he is, you have to have some 27:57 kind of hope then. 27:59 It just turned on a dime and it was like wow, that is 28:03 the beginning of the recovery in which recovery 28:06 is painful stuff, it's painful stuff. 28:11 Except for that hope that you see the real thing every 28:16 once in a while, it starts to pervade. 28:18 I remember my friend saying, like okay are we going to 28:21 be hurting like this, how long is this going to be? 28:25 She said to me, how long did it take you to get here? 28:29 It was like eight a half years plus a dysfunctional 28:33 courtship, so then this is 12. 28:36 And the chocolate stuff on top of that. - Yes. 28:37 So it's like 8 and 1/2 years, like okay 8 and 1/2 years 28:41 from now we will be better? She said yeah. 28:44 But it will get better along the way. 28:46 The Bible said when I first read the Bible and it said 28:50 count it all joy when trials, things hit you. 28:56 I'm thinking shut up, I am not going to count it all joy. 28:59 This is not good and what is interesting is that God says 29:03 recovery is not easy, but everything is going to take 29:06 a little bit more of the mask off. 29:08 You will be real enough walk your spiritual journey if you 29:12 will allow Me to bring these things to a head and these 29:15 things will hurt and don't run away from trials. 29:20 Don't be afraid of them, don't be afraid of conflict, 29:22 don't be afraid of recovery because recovery will 29:25 bring everything to you. 29:27 We are going to take a break because I want to come back 29:30 and finish this story, but I want to also introduce 29:34 people to your family because now you have six children and 29:37 God is using you in incredible ways, He has blessed you. 29:40 So we are going to take off, but if you have a family 29:43 and haven't gotten into recovery yet, you are still 29:46 struggling with stuff, turn it over to God and as for 29:49 the Holy Spirit every day and let Him start showing you 29:52 things. He's gentle, He so gentle. 29:54 We will be right back! 30:01 Think you've seen it all? Think again. 30:04 Cheri Peters is back for a second season of 30:08 Celebrating Life In Recovery with more lives 30:11 more stories and more miracles. 30:14 Watch the shocking, inspiring, and the incredible. 30:18 Check your local listings to find out when 30:21 Celebrating Life In Recovery comes to you and get 30:24 ready for another dose of reality, Cheri style. 30:42 You know some people wonder, maybe even on the show. 30:46 We have a show on addictions, we deal with people from 30:49 horrendous backgrounds, why do we cover normal families? 30:53 Do you know it is funny to me about that? 30:55 Most of us are normal families. 30:58 When you talk about drug addicts in use 2% of society. 31:02 Tiny little percentage, they may make the most press, 31:05 they may be the most obvious when you walk down the 31:08 street, but the people that need recovery are 98%. 31:11 So if we don't cover our normal stuff, we will stay in 31:15 bondage while the heroine addict laying in the gutter 31:18 gets recovery, how fair is that? 31:20 God wants all of us to choose recovery so we are talking 31:24 to a normal family, this family you heard their stuff on 31:28 the last segment and you have heard what has not worked 31:31 for them, I'm going to show you now what works for them. 31:35 We are going to finish up on the testimony, but they are 31:38 amazing, they are amazing and God is doing incredible 31:42 things so I'm going to invite Michelle back to the center 31:45 stage and you know why I'm going to do it separate this 31:49 time because I want to hear all this stuff and 31:50 I know with your husband sitting right next to you. 31:53 You said you did the Marriage Encounter thing, Wayne was 31:58 saying three years or so afterwards he still getting it. 32:03 So how did you get from the Marriage Encounter, 32:07 him becoming real to where you are today was 32:10 such an incredible family? 32:12 And having people like me staying at your house? 32:14 He was never going to be a Pastor and that whole process 32:19 took another breaking. 32:22 The first breaking I think did it in terms of 32:25 relationships between us where God start working on our 32:28 relationship with each other. 32:29 So for the next several many years, He focused on us. 32:34 In the process God gave us a new business. - more kids? 32:39 Well that was part of the process, as we got better it 32:43 I wanted a big family, and I didn't think I could have 32:46 anymore and there were several factors that contributed 32:50 to that but God gave me this promise. 32:51 The Holy Spirit gave me this promise that we would have 32:54 more kids and so I wanted them right away and God said 32:57 hey, no you need to get well. 32:59 You need to get well but there will come a time, and 33:01 I remember I didn't even know I was pregnant with Tyler 33:04 yet, but God had told me I was and 33:05 He told me he was a boy. 33:07 He gave me this picture, I didn't know I was going to 33:10 have two more after that but it was like He started over. 33:13 You had three already? We had three already and there 33:16 was a six-year break and we started over again. 33:18 But during that six-year period of time, God gave us 33:21 another business and there were principles of financial 33:24 security that God wanted us to embrace where 33:29 we had failed at the last one. 33:30 As soon as we deviated at all, God started blessing us. 33:34 Blessing us and blessing us with our construction. 33:36 As soon as you deviated God bless you? 33:38 No, as soon as we deviated we fell off, almost like 33:44 there was a curse right here. 33:45 As long as we were in obedience we were just right here. 33:48 Hold on for a minute, did everybody hear that? 33:51 That God has a plan, God has a direction and knows 33:54 what we need in recovery and as long as we listen, 33:58 as long as we listened He can pour into us, He can 34:01 bless us and then all of a sudden we thank you for all 34:04 that and now I'm going on my own again. 34:05 Don't do it, don't deviate because you are saying as 34:09 long as you were there He so blessed your relationship, 34:12 your family, your business. 34:14 Well we ended up going through the same thing we did 34:17 the previous time except it was worse in terms of, 34:21 it was over a long period of time in fact even today 34:25 we still have things left over from that that God, 34:28 I know that He is going to set us free at some point, 34:31 but we are not there yet and it is still left over. 34:34 But in between 34:35 - He may be afraid to because you might deviate again. 34:38 I don't want to, I don't want to deviate. 34:41 One of the principles of freedom is that when you are 34:45 breaking, and you are the generation that breaks it, 34:49 for me it's your family life and there are fruits of 34:53 dysfunction and you can stand in denial if you want. 34:56 But if you look at the fruit of your family relationships 34:59 are they healthy, or are they broken. 35:01 We can look at people in church where their children have 35:03 totally left the church and they were no longer in. 35:06 Or they had no relationship with them here, our leaders 35:10 in the church whose children never come home, we have 35:13 never met them, or if they did they never stay with them 35:15 and it is like what is going on here? I don't get this. 35:18 We don't want that, we want healthy relationships. 35:21 In my own family those things that were broken, I want it 35:24 fixed and I know that it starts with me. 35:27 It starts with me. - but wait, don't you know that is 35:30 the biggest, absolutely the biggest thing to learn. 35:33 As soon as I can realize that it is not about anyone else, 35:37 it is about me the Holy Spirit and God empowers me to 35:40 make a change, because I can't change right? 35:43 Right. - you can't change Wayne. 35:45 Those three years were me changing me and then from that 35:49 point on he got it, like him changing him. 35:52 Then we started working on us changing us together. 35:56 The lid in any church, we believe in terms of the 36:00 leadership, how Jesus says you never raise higher then 36:05 your Master, if the Master gets persecuted so will you. 36:09 So in terms of our relationship, it is like we have to 36:13 get it, we are this umbrella covering over our children. 36:17 If we have holes in our umbrellas they are going to get 36:20 hit, so we have watched as each one of them, as we have 36:24 sealed up the holes in our own character. 36:27 God showing us, walking through it, healing us, they 36:30 haven't even had to deal with the things we did. 36:34 If you look at the story, one of my favorite stories is 36:38 the story of Joseph, because it is right there at Joseph 36:42 the dysfunction that has been coming down for four 36:45 generations hits the fan and someone who is relatively 36:48 innocent of wrongdoing ends up carrying the family pain. 36:51 Yet God does amazing things through him, 36:57 He creates a nation of holy people that God wants 37:00 to use for all eternity. 37:02 So as we did this, as we are getting well God is going 37:06 to do this for us and sometimes He will not even visit 37:10 the iniquity of our sins upon them. 37:13 We have watched relationally each one of our kids dating. 37:17 So we are going to meet your kids. 37:20 First I want Wayne to come end some things with you. 37:23 Michelle I'm going to cover, we are going to talk in a 37:25 whole other the show, were going to do a whole show with 37:28 you and I, because I just think we should. - okay. 37:32 Wayne come on, and what is really fun to me I heard you 37:39 say at the beginning of this show, I am not going 37:42 to be a Pastor. - that is right. 37:44 So you went to the marriage seminar and all that stuff, 37:47 how did you get from that to being real with her, 37:50 to being a Pastor? 37:51 We began to get involved in Marriage Encounter. 37:58 After we went to and Marriage Encounter we wanted to be 38:02 part of that process and so we became part of the team. 38:06 You started teaching? Yeah. - oh shut up. 38:09 How funny is that, don't you think as dysfunctional as we 38:11 get an all of a sudden we start teaching what we learn. 38:14 Can you answer me honestly one thing? 38:17 Do you teach it because you no longer have any struggles? 38:20 No, in fact what Marriage Encounter is sharing your 38:25 struggles with other couples and challenging them to try 38:28 to use the same tools you used. 38:30 What you are saying is I'm still growing and still 38:32 learning and here is what I am doing, try it. 38:35 They try it and it is a process that we work together. 38:38 It works awesome, it really does. 38:40 I guess the reason I ask you that is that sometimes when 38:44 somebody says you know what? 38:45 I struggled with this and give it to God and the next day 38:49 my whole life was fine, I'm thinking I want to kick them. 38:52 That is so not fair because my life isn't fine. 38:56 Not that it's not fine, I love life but every day I do 38:59 the right thing now hopefully, most of the time. 39:02 I turn it over to God and use the tools 39:05 He has taught me, or whatever I call somebody, is not 39:09 that they don't come up. 39:10 You begin to hear His voice, and more and more often you 39:14 answer that directives, turn to the left or turn to 39:18 the right, or keep on. 39:20 So more and more you get more healthy. 39:22 Scripture says that in any generation, Scripture talks 39:27 about generational sins that we continue to process from 39:30 one generation to the next and if you look around you in 39:33 the world today you know that every generation is 39:37 getting worse, we are on this downhill slide. 39:40 But Scripture is also very clear that it can turn 39:43 in any one generation, all we have to do is decide this 39:46 is the generation where it is going to stop. 39:50 The next generation can be better, not worse. 39:54 They can actually get closer and closer. 39:56 - you decided that for your family? 39:58 It's going to stop with me. - yeah, well probably at 40:02 the beginning, not even purposely we were hurting so 40:06 much we knew we had to do something. 40:08 We were either going to live for ever in pain or you're 40:10 going to have to do better, and it's God began to heal 40:13 us I remember praying especially when we were in the 40:16 depths of despair, Lord we need to be healed. 40:19 But the other thing is as if there's any way that this 40:22 pain can be used for good somewhere down the line that 40:25 would be really awesome. 40:27 - it's going to be used right now. 40:29 Well He's been awesome and incredible God. - Amen! 40:33 So what is going to be amazing to me is to meet 40:36 your kids, and I want to ask you has this stuff 40:39 affected them at all? 40:41 Like we're going to meet Lawren first. 40:43 Has and is, it never stops. 40:48 I think that anyone that says I got it, they are 40:51 deciding that God has done enough in their life and 40:54 they don't want anymore of His blessing. 40:56 God continues all the time. 40:58 Just recently Lawren came in our room one night and she 41:05 was pretty stressed about an issue in her life. 41:07 She asked as what we thought she should do. 41:10 It would really be cool to be the parents like father 41:13 knows best or something, but it doesn't work. 41:16 - but don't you want it to? - I want it to. 41:18 What we did was challenge her to go to bed that night 41:22 and pray and then journal. 41:24 Just wait and see what God says to her. 41:27 The next morning I remember her saying, that she felt 41:31 God had revealed some things to her but not necessarily 41:35 having to do with what we've are talking about, 41:37 or what her questions were. 41:39 We said well is it significant? 41:42 She said no it is so small it doesn't really matter. 41:45 We convinced her, coaxed her to share with us exactly 41:48 what it was. 41:50 What she said was, He had revealed to her that from 41:54 a very young girl she decided she wanted to be older 41:59 then she was, and she wanted to be a boy. 42:03 Where did that come from? Lawren has an older brother. 42:08 She wanted to be able to go to work with me. 42:12 I would like Christopher come to work. 42:14 - so you had spent a lot of time with him. - yeah. 42:16 She wanted to come to work and I wouldn't let Lawren 42:18 come to work because she was a girl and she wasn't old 42:21 enough, he was two years older. 42:23 So this innocent lie in her head was that if she was 42:27 older and a boy I would love her more. 42:29 Lawren and I have had a great relationship, I think. 42:32 You could ask her, but I think we've had a great 42:35 relationship but there was still something that Satan 42:38 tried to use in her mind to destroy her, to change her 42:41 identity, and to hold her from being free. 42:44 What God did that night was reveal it and now we are 42:47 walking through the process of me saying over and over, 42:50 I'm sorry and I love you. 42:53 In the recovery process, which I think is amazing, 42:55 we think of recovery is just drugs and alcohol. 42:58 In the recovery process any lie that Satan has told us, 43:01 anything that has damaged us God wants to bring it to 43:05 light, not only to bring it to life but for you to see 43:08 a lie of it and choose life, choose healing. 43:11 That is the healing, it is recognizing the lie, 43:14 accepting the truth from Jesus and allowing Him to 43:18 speak to us who we are in Him. 43:21 What's interesting is that before your journey to 43:24 recovery, before you were standing up and trying to 43:27 figure out who you are truly as a man of God and stay 43:30 present and stay real, 43:32 you wouldn't have hurt her? - no. 43:34 Had you not been working hundred miles an hour, because 43:36 the workaholism wish you were trying to do this image 43:38 and you couldn't have hurt her? 43:41 I believe the greatest healing power for people today is 43:47 if the parent can say to their child how have I hurt you? 43:52 And then to hear them. I can't tell you how many kids 43:57 come and say I wish they would say that, but they are not 44:01 going to, and they don't. 44:03 But they still have to try and find healing without that. 44:05 But if the parent could say that their kids and listen 44:09 and simply say no defense, I did it and I'm sorry. 44:13 Forgive me, I do love you, what can we do from here? 44:16 What is really interesting to me when you say that 44:19 because I hear that from kids too.. 44:21 It's even been able to say to the parent is it doesn't 44:25 even have to be the way was caught because you didn't 44:28 love your son more than Lawren. 44:30 It was just a lie they came into her head because of what 44:33 she saw, so it is their perception and you don't have to 44:37 defend on what it was. 44:38 Just to be able to love them, I'm sorry. 44:40 You know that I love you. 44:43 What I love about your healing is that it reflects on 44:47 everybody around you, and even in our relationship. 44:51 When I met you the fact that you are learning to walk as 44:55 a man of God present, I get to be as your sister in Christ 44:58 I get to be a reciprocal of that, I get to feel your 45:03 journey and I know that you are not perfect now. 45:07 And I love you more, you and Michelle I love you more. 45:11 I love you more as I learn about you guys. 45:12 So are going to have Lawren come up, Lawren come on up. 45:16 Lawren, when I first met you I saw this incredibly 45:21 beautiful child that has these incredible parents. 45:26 So now he is telling me about you as a child. 45:29 How are you dealing with that and what was it like to be 45:31 able to take it to them? 45:33 It was weird because my dad is my hero. 45:37 We always want to pass blame to our moms, 45:40 I think for girls. 45:42 So I didn't tell them right away because I didn't want it 45:46 to be my dad's fault, but I finally did and I was in 45:50 Greece and he'd called me on the phone. 45:53 Or like ever since then he's been calling me and say I'm 45:55 so glad you are a girl, I love you, over and over. 45:58 I say dad it is okay, it's alright, it's alright. 46:01 Once I figured it out I realized it had such an effect 46:06 because I always was trying not to do girly things. 46:11 I did want to like dolls because that was a girly thing. 46:14 I do not talk about my feelings because that is a stereo 46:17 typical girl thing so was trying to avoid all those 46:20 different things and now I'm realizing, like okay God 46:23 wants me to be a girl. 46:25 It's okay to be emotional and whatever else girls are 46:29 supposed to do. - you were so detached from that. 46:32 It was like I don't even know what that means. 46:35 So you have to really ask God, how am I going to be that? 46:39 I don't how to be that anymore. - exactly! 46:42 You look like a girly girl. - thanks. 46:45 Which is good, so what I want to say to you is that you 46:49 are Andrews University, a theology major. 46:52 Talk a little bit about that, that is so hip to me. 46:56 It's hip it's great I would take you anywhere on the 46:59 planet to deal with youth with me. - okay, let's go. 47:03 You're almost out of school? - yeah. 47:05 So why did you choose theology? 47:06 When I had graduated from high school I had no idea what 47:10 I wanted to do, I just figured I'd go into education 47:13 because then I could get summers off. 47:15 So okay I'm going to go to be a teacher. 47:17 - so you wonder summers off? Yeah then you can do what 47:20 you want so I went to Union College for a year and then 47:23 took a year off and start teaching school and then 47:26 I came back I went to New Mexico teaching 47:29 at this Indian Reservation. 47:32 I realize the next day, some girls taught one day and 47:35 then we'd switch and the next day I was painting. 47:37 We painted their cafeteria and I thought I would rather 47:41 be painting this building then in there dealing with 47:44 kids and stuff, I don't want kids to go home and feel 47:48 that they are draining their teacher. 47:49 I did want to have that effect on them saw I was like 47:53 I need to get out of this I can't, it's not right. 47:56 So I called my parents, and they always knew what Chris 48:02 was going to do they always knew what am I supposed to do? 48:06 Oh I was supposed to do something medical, they probably 48:10 know what you guys are going to do. 48:12 You will not accept it right away, but they always knew 48:16 and I was okay guys I'm not going to be a teacher. 48:18 What am I supposed to do? I'm just going to do what you 48:20 tell me, they had no idea. 48:23 So for the next semester of school I took some art classes 48:26 and stuff but. - you are an incredible artist. 48:29 Yeah, well God is helping with that, I don't know, 48:33 I just like it. 48:34 For the next semester I just prayed and prayed, God show 48:37 me what You want me to do because 48:40 I picked the wrong thing and I realized right away that 48:43 I was in the wrong school. 48:44 God wanted me to go to Andrews and I had gone to the wrong 48:46 place so that backfired and a lot of things happened that 48:50 I could have avoided if I had listened to Him. 48:51 So for the semester I just pray and God wasn't answering 48:54 me, I knew I was suppose to go to Andrews but I didn't 48:57 know what I was suppose to take. 49:00 I love mission trips, and I saw this sign for a mission 49:03 trip to Africa, and I was like awe I want to go to Africa. 49:07 I got so excited, and I went in there and there were so 49:10 many kids that wanted to go and only 20 or so could go. 49:13 So he had us write a letter of why we wanted to go. 49:17 I said I wanted to get out of my box and do something for 49:20 God and going out of the country makes me open up. 49:24 Because I'm a shy person typically, so I had to write, 49:28 and I wasn't trying to sell myself to go on this trip, 49:32 I was just saying I want to go to Africa. 49:35 You're honestly just saying, this is who I am and 49:38 I so want to go. 49:39 Yeah I was just saying I want to go, I wasn't trying to 49:43 sell it and the wrote us back and they had picked me and 49:46 it ended up being only 20 people that had been actually 49:49 able to follow through with it. 49:51 So they picked us and I was sitting in the meeting after 49:54 I was picked and as they were talking I realized, 49:58 because Alissa my sister had gone on a trip 50:00 with the same group. 50:01 She had worked with kids, I like playing with kids, 50:03 I like working with kids, so I can do that. 50:06 I can sing and help with art projects or whatever. 50:09 As he was talking, about what in the world because the 50:13 guy was saying we will have our own churches, our own 50:16 groups and we're going to speak, we are the speakers. 50:19 And I thought I'm going to be speaking by myself? 50:23 Like excuse me I'm not that somebody. 50:25 Yeah as we were already picked, you are going to go and 50:28 afterwards I went to my room and I was like God, 50:31 what are You doing? 50:33 So I figured if God chose me of all those people that it 50:37 was going to work out and it would be fine. 50:39 So I looked on the website and it said my Church group, 50:42 It has an estimated number of people. 50:44 It was 700 people. - no way. - I was like, I was 50:48 freaking out, but okay God wants me to go because 50:52 He picked me so if something is that clear and you get 50:55 chosen out of all these people, and you weren't even 50:57 trying and God wants that for you. 51:00 It really is a loud message. I am so in control. 51:04 God is saying, I am so in control. Don't be afraid. 51:07 So I went through all the sermons and was practicing 51:11 on my little brothers and sisters. 51:13 - were they saved? - yeah, they all came forward 51:17 during my call and so I got ready. 51:21 We went and I met my Pastor, and I looked younger than 51:25 I am, which didn't help with the issue 51:27 of me being younger. 51:28 I went and I was a girl and he was this accomplished 51:32 Pastor and had nine churches and was looking 51:34 at me like what! I know he was judging me right away. 51:38 I was nervous, so we went to my church site and they 51:42 started talking, well we can't meet in the church because 51:46 there is about 2500 people and on Sabbath we can't. 51:48 I was like wait, what, there was like 2000 people over on 51:54 Sabbath and weekends for church, they have like 2000 51:58 people and I was freaking out. 52:00 I had that verse, "I can do all things through Christ 52:03 "which strengthens me. " 52:04 I was like okay, God has a purpose and I am supposed 52:08 to be here so I was nervous and I was visualizing, 52:11 because they had the church set up and all the benches 52:14 were up the hill. 52:16 I was picturing it like the benches being full. 52:19 I was like okay that's not so bad, I can do it. 52:21 So the first night came and I got so excited I was sitting 52:28 up there, you would kneel down and pray and I kept 52:31 looking up wondering when they were done because every 52:34 once in awhile everyone would say Amen together. 52:36 So it's like we'll were done, oh we're not done. 52:38 How about my head because I didn't know because 52:40 they say Amen like five times before they are actually 52:42 done with the prayer. 52:43 So I was like get me ready I'm ready to preach this, 52:47 maybe just to get it over with because we had like 19 52:51 sermons in 16 days or something like that. 52:54 So I was all excited and afterward everyone had gone home 52:58 and I was sitting and taking it all in, like the adrenaline. 53:02 I had never spoken up in front, I did a children's story 53:05 once because I had to for a class. 53:07 I took public speaking in my freshman year of college 53:10 and I hated it, I would get so nervous. 53:13 So I was sitting up in the church building that they 53:16 didn't use and I was sitting with that Pastor 53:19 and he said you're going to be a preacher like 53:21 your dad. I was like no I am not but I will take the 53:25 compliment because I knew he was thinking this is 53:28 a girl and she can't do this. 53:30 What he doesn't know is that girls are powerful. 53:32 I want to introduce you to the rest of the family. 53:35 We are out of time so you are just going to see them. 53:37 They are amazing, Katie, come up first. 53:41 And Katie if you were in a ministry what would it be? 53:44 Probably with little kids. - you love little kids? 53:47 - yeah. - that it's amazing. 53:49 Okay go ahead and have a seat, but give me a hug. 53:52 When you get into ministry, after graduation I want you 53:56 to come work with us. 53:58 I want to introduce you to Nicholas, Nicholas you are 54:01 fabulous, you are an artist, you are funny, you love 54:05 horses just like me, I love all that stuff. 54:08 Tyler you are at and Academy in Minnesota. 54:10 Your dad says you're going to be a Pastor, 54:13 but you said no way. 54:15 Absolutely no way and I hope you guys heard everything 54:20 we said, starting out with all the struggles and trying 54:25 to figure out who they are even as parents. 54:27 Then coming in with the right relationship with each 54:30 other, with God, raising their family in ways that 54:33 every family member decides that they are going to get 54:37 into ministry in someway. 54:38 Maybe some not even deciding yet but God is working on 54:41 them and they have such a cool home. 54:44 So I want to say if you think you are normal, 54:47 check out the fruits like Michelle was saying. 54:50 How is your family going and if they are not quite right 54:53 ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and show you 54:57 what is not right and turn it over to God and live 55:00 a life victoriously in recovery. 55:02 The Bible says the best of the best of us are like filthy 55:06 rags, and I so believe that. 55:08 I think right now what I would like you to remember is 55:11 that God wants freedom in recovery for all of us. 55:13 So stay tuned and we will be right back. 55:19 Cheri Peters uses the book, 'Coming Of The Comforter' 55:22 as a guide for the second season of Celebrating Life In 55:26 Recovery, written by Lee Roy E. Froom is a 320 page book 55:29 that offers every sinner the knowledge that the 55:32 Holy Spirit is available to all. 55:34 3ABN now offers this book to you for a suggested donation 55:37 of only $13 postpaid within the U.S. 55:41 Call 3ABN at 618-627-4651 or go online to 3ABN.org. 56:01 On the break Lawren was talking about the worst thing 56:03 she ever did, and of course that gets my attention. 56:06 I'm thinking she's adorable, her parents are adorable and 56:09 they are this healthy family and she says that she stole 56:13 some cookies, or a cookie. 56:15 I'm thinking what? She said yes about five years later 56:17 she called them up and had to apologize because her 56:20 conscience was too overwhelming. 56:23 I laughed my head off because I thought how cool is that 56:26 going into this family and the background they came from, 56:29 knowing what they dealt with in their lives and I know 56:32 even their childhood before all this stuff happened that 56:35 you heard about, and then they had children that 56:38 the worse they did was steal cookie. 56:40 I love that and God is so good. 56:41 Pastor Wayne talked about during the break too which was 56:44 way cool about how we all strive to have these normal 56:47 families, or we say that, but normal nowadays 56:50 is dysfunctional. 56:52 Normal is that you are overwhelmed with financial 56:56 stuff, and sexual addictions, and anger, and 56:59 perfectionism, and all that junk. 57:01 I think we have to stop being normal, I think we have to 57:05 step away and say God I want to be incredible. 57:08 It reminds me of Jeremiah, there is a prophet in the Bible 57:11 Named Jeremiah and God tells him I want you to go to the 57:14 Potter's house and watch him because there is a spiritual 57:16 lesson here and so Jeremiah goes. 57:18 The Potter has this clay on this wheel and he is loving 57:22 it, he is building this clay up and making 57:24 this incredible piece out of it. 57:26 It's getting pretty good sized, but there is an impurity 57:30 in the clay that he cannot work out. 57:32 He can't work it out so he can't build it up anymore so 57:35 Potter get so frustrated he can't do anymore. 57:39 So Jeremiah is getting anxious wondering what he is going 57:41 to do, is he going to throw the clay away? 57:43 He got a sense that the clay was us. 57:45 He was like don't throw it away, the Potter doesn't. 57:48 The Potter takes it all way back down to a small ball 57:51 and he makes a little bowl, a small vessel out of it. 57:54 And God said, I can make you do something incredible. 57:58 You can have an incredible life. 57:59 You can be an incredible vessel, or you can be taken back 58:02 down and made something simpler if you can't work your 58:06 stuff out and I'm thinking work it out. 58:08 The only secret to working it out, it's not Prozac. 58:11 Even though I don't have anything against Prozac. 58:14 It is the Holy Spirit and it is God. 58:16 So get it, get it and turned over and ask Him. 58:19 I want to say thanks for joining us and we will see you 58:22 again next week, always remember that God is crazy 58:24 about you and me too. |
Revised 2014-12-17