Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Gerri Morrison
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR00064B
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00:14 Welcome back!
00:18 Man, even though I want to just get right back into the 00:21 interview, Gerri you were talking you did the suicide 00:23 attempt and you are in the mental health hospital, 00:27 that's where recovery has started for you. 00:29 I want to ask you, there are a few times I covered this 00:34 topic where somebody goes into counseling 00:37 or going to a church setting and 00:40 end up having an affair, but there is 00:41 a friend of mine that has, her parents were the ones who had 00:45 the affair so she, as a kid, got the fallout from all that. 00:48 She will e-mail me when I get home and say nobody talks 00:52 about the kids or the family that is affected. 00:54 So I want to ask you a little bit about the recovery from 00:58 the affair, about the wife of the pastor, and I know that 01:02 it was abuse on your part that in that counseling situation 01:05 you should have been protected but what did 01:08 healing look like for everyone? 01:10 One of the things that made a huge difference to keep me 01:14 from going back to where I was because I couldn't live with 01:17 the guilt and going back to a suicide attempt was making 01:21 amends with my pastor's wife, being able to pray with her 01:24 afterward, after this whole thing blew up. 01:27 And it did blow up, the pastor lost his job and got shipped 01:30 out, I thought about leaving the church at that time, 01:34 and some people did find out and I really should've been 01:39 booted out, I should've been excommunicated at that time. 01:44 The church that we are still in really put their arms 01:48 around my husband and I and supported us and drew us in. 01:52 Some did not know about the affair and that drug abuse and 01:55 the suicide attempt, some new about all of it and supported 01:58 us and loved us through that. 02:00 That was huge for my husband. 02:01 Why was it, because you know to me what is really 02:04 interesting about that is that I think a lot of us are 02:08 ignorant to the role as counselor, a pastor to protect 02:11 you from those kind of things? 02:13 When you step in, you know protect you from sexual 02:18 intimacy's, from getting too close to your counselor, 02:23 getting in situations where that opportunity develops. 02:27 So was it that the church recognized that you were 02:31 vulnerable at that time? 02:33 Well afterward I think so, even though I carried guilt, 02:37 a lot of guilt for it. 02:38 Lot of the people that knew saw it as an injustice, that I 02:44 shouldn't have been 02:45 counseling with a man anyway. 02:46 One on one that shouldn't have happened to start with. 02:49 But it did and I see where that was set up to take place now 02:53 because the intent was there on one side before it happened. 02:56 But our church members did support us and pray with my 03:02 husband and support him. 03:04 And the pastor's wife even came up and said I am so sorry, 03:07 I could see how that could. 03:09 The pastor's wife making amends with her was huge, 03:11 and to be able to pray with her about that, 03:13 being able to apologize to her, 03:15 being able to tell her how sorry that I was and what I had 03:19 done to her family and what my part was in that. 03:23 It was huge for healing, it was making amends, 03:27 and I think it's huge and we know in AA that making amends 03:31 is a huge part of healing. 03:33 where we can make amends. 03:35 Let me just go to the Bible because it is really 03:37 interesting in the Bible says that if you have stolen money, 03:41 or done anything go take care of it, payback and even with 03:44 one tax collector that paid back like three times, 03:48 four times the amount and so it says to make amends 03:51 and take care of that stuff. 03:53 If you have lied to somebody going make that right. 03:55 If you have something against a brother or they against you 03:58 leave everything here for a minute and go 04:01 take care of that and come back. 04:02 So when we talk about a 12 step group making amends, 04:06 it really is a biblical concept. 04:08 If you can, without causing more damage, 04:12 if you can make amends. 04:14 You are saying that during that coming out of the hospital, 04:18 suicide attempt, after all that it was making amends, 04:20 stepping into recovery for the first time 04:22 in a very honest way. 04:24 People were praying with you, for you, covering you and 04:27 all that and so now how did your legs get stronger 04:31 under you in a spiritual sense? 04:33 the first thing that I know that was absolutely so different 04:37 this time is I was live in a transparent life. 04:40 I didn't have anything under the rug anymore, 04:43 it was all out in the open and being able to make amends. 04:47 You know you just scared somebody watching? 04:48 You put everything out in the open are you kidding me? 04:52 That is a huge one! 04:54 It's so healing, that is the only way to unload it. 04:56 When I could make amends, and pray with somebody that I hurt, 04:59 and apologize just make the apology, I was able to unload it 05:02 I didn't have to carry that anymore. 05:04 Now everything is in the open, everything that I have done 05:07 and my life becomes transparent. 05:10 Then I asked people to help me be accountable. 05:13 Where am I? What am I doing? What am I spending my money on? 05:16 Do I have time alone, is my car turning it is amazing how my car 05:19 can be going down the street and turn into a liquor store, 05:22 but if I see the pastor's car behind me, 05:23 my car doesn't turn. 05:25 I thought I did it on my own, it doesn't, 05:27 I can actually make it go straight. 05:29 That's funny! 05:30 But I found that out that if my life was transparent, 05:33 and I told people knew what I was doing. 05:35 I would tell somebody I feel like I really need to use, 05:39 being accountable. 05:41 So if you and I were friends, you would trust me with 05:44 some of those secrets about yourself? 05:46 Some of those secrets about yourself and even say, 05:49 Cheri keep me accountable. 05:51 So you would not do that with everybody? 05:52 I mean you wouldn't just choose somebody randomly, 05:54 but you trusted someone. 05:56 I trusted somebody and if I say Cheri, this happened 05:58 and a bill is late, I'm going to have a late payment and 06:01 I am frustrated about this and I really want to go get 06:04 something to drink or go get some cocaine, 06:07 call me an hour and see what I'm doing. 06:10 Either I am going to call you are come over. 06:12 We are going to go out, we're going take a walk, 06:14 we are going to hang out. 06:16 What really is interesting is that you did exactly what 06:19 you are supposed to, be accountable, don't hide anymore, 06:22 and be transparent. 06:24 At least tell one other person, and then you go back because 06:28 people said it is a good 12-step concept. 06:30 That is a Bible concept, the Bible says pray for one another, 06:34 confess to one another so you may be healed. 06:36 So it is a matter of, if you tell me you are struggling 06:40 with the lying or using whatever I am going to pray with 06:44 you then, but when I get home I'm just, God be with Gerri 06:48 today, she is really struggling with this. 06:49 She is really trying to not drink, or not lie, or not go 06:54 there mentally and all that stuff. 06:55 So it's like being able to say open up, I'm going to 06:58 open up with you. 07:00 And being able to pray, it's huge. 07:01 Prayer is huge, the power of prayer is incredible. 07:04 Like I said my mother never quit praying for me. 07:07 Other people started pray for me when they found out 07:10 what a bad situation I actually was in. 07:13 It was worse than some people wanted to even talk about. 07:16 You know the deep dark secrets that, all of us have 07:19 something probably in our closet that we don't want out. 07:23 But when everything came out it was a huge relief. 07:25 Oh the burden that it lifted was unbelievable. 07:28 And being able to pray with people because I could be honest 07:32 with people, there is so much power in prayer. 07:34 Oh Cheri I see people say, I have read all the books and I 07:38 sent them to rehab and I've done this and I've done every 07:41 thing I can too. 07:42 I guess all there is left to do is pray. 07:44 Like it is the most feeble thing we can possibly do. 07:48 It is a last resort, it is the most powerful thing we can 07:51 do and we need to do it first and best and always. 07:54 We can avail ourselves of all the power of heaven, 07:57 by a thought or a word. 07:58 And to be able to pray together, like if I were to ask you 08:02 to pray with me about this, where two or more are gathered 08:05 in My name, I will be in their midst, and we have promises. 08:08 What is interesting to me is people nowadays are starting to 08:11 really look at the fact of the power of prayer, 08:14 and how intense it is, and they will have somebody in recovery, 08:20 after heart surgery and say let's have the staff pray for 08:23 them, whether they believe or not doesn't matter. 08:25 They are going to do a study on that. 08:26 So just say the right words and pray for him. 08:29 Over here, I feel bad for the person that doesn't get prayer, 08:33 but over here let's not pray for this guy. 08:35 So this guy gets sick more often and has more complications 08:38 then this guy over here that got prayed for and it didn't 08:42 even matter whether prayed for 08:44 Bible believers are nonbelievers 08:46 It didn't matter if they were the same town or not. 08:48 They said study after study after study is reflecting that. 08:52 I am thinking that we still believe somehow that it is just 08:56 lip service, instead that it is the power of God to save lives 09:00 Or we limit God with our lack of faith, God is not limited at 09:04 all, we limit Him with our lack of faith and don't even pray 09:07 about some things because we don't take we are going to get 09:11 the answers and we think our faith is going to shrink. 09:13 I believe we need to pray for everything. 09:16 The Bible says pray without ceasing, cracks me up. 09:19 Pray without ceasing. 09:20 You know what I do now, which is really amazing, 09:23 I'll say God, before I leave the door, 09:25 I say I know you have some cool things planned today, 09:28 I pray that I don't miss them. 09:31 Show me who is in a box today, show me what You're doing today. 09:35 Little tiny things all day long, so it is like even being able 09:39 to say I'm going to pray into my intimate connection with God. 09:42 I'm going to pray that into my life because 09:44 I know that is God's desire. 09:46 So people started to pray for you, you started actually 09:50 leaning on God for that healing more and more. 09:53 And learning to pray also, when I went to camp meeting and 09:58 heard a lady talk about a prayer and the power of prayer 10:02 and she was 80 years old. 10:03 She was a missionary nurse, working in Africa at 80. 10:06 I thought I'm going to be a nurse, that is what I want to. 10:08 I went to school. You did! 10:10 I enrolled in school that fall and even with a fried brain, 10:13 that I had fried on drugs, God got me through school with a 10:16 4.0 and I became an R.N. and have worked in surgery, 10:22 I work in surgery now and get to pray for my patients in a 10:27 public hospital, I can't bring it up, 10:30 but I do get to pray for people now. 10:33 I know the power of prayer and have seen it in my life, 10:36 but now I get to see it every day. 10:37 God has shown me how powerful prayer is in my own life and 10:43 because of that I have confidence and assurance that 10:46 He can and will and is still a prayer answering God. 10:49 And God is still a God of miracles. 10:50 What really is because I never get from you that recovery 10:54 is a piece of cake, I don't have any problems. 10:57 I don't get that from you but I get that strength that 10:59 you said, I am taking it to God. 11:02 I do ask people to pray for me and I know it is a daily 11:05 connection with God. 11:07 It has to be, it has to be a daily thing. 11:10 You gave me, one time, a prayer button and that cracked 11:16 me up because I started to wear it. 11:18 All it says is May I pray for you? 11:20 And first before tell my story, I want you to say where 11:23 did those come from and why did you make those buttons up? 11:26 Because like I said May I Pray For You? is all it says. 11:30 A very simple concept, it had to be, because I have 11:32 a very simple mind and God knew that, but my brother 11:35 who is also an R.N.. 11:36 He and I was talking one day about how do you know who you 11:39 can pray for your patients, we both work in public hospitals. 11:42 How do you know who you can pray for? 11:44 We like to pray for our patients and some patients would 11:47 want to be prayed for but we can't bring it up for 11:50 fear of losing our job. 11:51 I said I would like to just liked to wear a T-shirt that 11:53 says right across the front, I'll pray for you if you want. 11:55 He said why don't you, why don't you? 11:59 He challenged me and I didn't think I could wear the T-shirt 12:03 but I remembered this little pin maker that I used for 12:06 vacation Bible school that makes these little round pins and 12:09 you can put your name on it or anything that you want to. 12:12 A would say May I Pray For You? 12:13 I had a little sticky note, and it is still here my Bible. 12:15 A little sticky note that says May I Pray For You? 12:18 Very tiny I wrote it and that is the original May I Pray 12:21 for you? and a pin was born and I've been wearing it about 12:24 a year and a half now. 12:25 Do you have a pin with you? I have one! 12:27 May I Pray For You? and I wear it on my shirt or my scrub top. 12:33 I used to just wear it at the hospital, now I wear it 12:35 everywhere and am praying with the girl in Subway, and the 12:38 girl at McDonald's, and my bank teller, and my husband's 12:41 pharmacist, and the manager of the grocery store, 12:44 and coworkers, and my prayer list has gotten huge. 12:47 Because what is really interesting like you, 12:50 is for one how do you, people need prayer and you realize 12:54 that you've yourself needed prayer? 12:56 Amen I did know how much is needed and I know how much 12:59 power there is in it and I am able to pray for people. 13:03 Now my prayer list is huge, but I thought it was going 13:06 to be a blessing to somebody else, 13:08 but it has been a huge blessing to me. 13:09 I have never spent so much time on my knees. 13:12 I have never spent so much time in the word. 13:14 My prayers are not me focused anymore, 13:16 they are focused on other people. 13:18 It has just transformed my life to pray. 13:22 I wore one to the airport, and I am not even thinking, 13:25 I just had it on my jacket, May I Pray For You? 13:28 I am checking in and it is an early, early flight, 13:31 so I am there at 5:30 in the morning, 13:33 6:00 in the morning and the girl says, 13:36 what's that mean? What's, what mean? 13:40 And I remember just saying to her like come I couldn't 13:43 figure out what she was talking about, 13:45 and she said what does that mean? 13:46 And I looked down at the jacket and I had the May I Pray 13:49 For You? And I thought it was funny because I thought, 13:52 what is confusing about this, do you know I mean? 13:56 It's a really simple statement. 13:58 So I said may I pray for you? 14:00 And she is like, yeah what does that mean? 14:02 Well may I pray for you, and she is like that's weird. 14:08 I remember her being stunned by that, but I couldn't tell 14:14 whether even and I felt like God said let her, 14:17 if she wanted prayer, let her say the next thing. 14:20 It's like people to even really offer prayer sometimes 14:25 is confusing to them. 14:27 It's like being able to bring that back into people's lives. 14:32 Exactly, yesterday on my way out here I had five different 14:37 people ask for prayer between airport and renting a car. 14:41 One of the ladies, where I rented the car said you can pray 14:46 for me, would you pray for me? Would you pray for my son, 14:48 he is dabbling with drugs and I am worried about him? 14:50 My name is such and such and she showed me her name tag, 14:53 would you like me to write it down for you? 14:55 She said I don't think anybody has prayed for me since 14:58 I was a little girl, and she just touched my heart. 15:01 We need more prayer, there is so much power in prayer. 15:04 We need more prayer in the world. 15:06 But so many people that you believe in prayer, believe in 15:10 the power of prayer, like even the medical are finding out 15:13 that people that don't know they are prayed for have better 15:16 outcomes after surgery than people who weren't prayed for 15:19 where neither person knows. 15:21 They are finding out, and even our medical professionals are 15:25 starting to realize the power in prayer. 15:27 More of our physicians are praying now. 15:29 Isn't that amazing, but your heart says somebody prayed for 15:33 me and it made a difference, so I cannot let go of this. 15:36 Absolutely! I know that we have some questions in a café so 15:39 I am going to open up for questions. 15:41 I know that Carolyn you had a question. 15:43 Yeah, I grew up in an Adventist family I was always expected 15:52 to be the good kid, because I am a former pastor's kid. 15:58 Once the pastor's kid, always a pastor's kid, 16:01 but I have been depressed a lot 16:05 because of my life and I have always wanted for a time to 16:10 commit suicide, because I didn't think it was worth living 16:14 But then I started thinking about it, I have a roof over my 16:18 head, I have family that loves me. 16:20 I have a hope I just don't feel like living because of a 16:26 certain situation, but did you even have that? 16:30 Do you have a reason for living? 16:32 I have gotten myself into a place, it breaks my heart to 16:36 hear you say that because you do have a perfect life, 16:39 it looks like the perfect life growing up and still 16:41 something is definitely missing. 16:43 Something was missing. 16:44 Coming from a different place, I had gotten myself into a 16:48 place where guilt over the things I have done was so bad, 16:52 which is probably different than depression that you had 16:56 even though you have the roof over your head, 16:58 like you said it, and seemed to have everything. 17:00 A depression like that God can make different through prayer. 17:05 God can make a purpose in your life through prayer. 17:08 But it is different, I think you have experienced going that 17:13 route isn't the same to me as what I did by bringing things 17:18 on myself that made me want to check out. 17:20 You didn't bring things on yourself. 17:22 What is interesting with Caroline, what you were talking 17:25 about, is because you and I sat together and prayed the 17:29 other day through a lot of this kind of stuff. 17:31 The assumption is that you brought nothing on yourself, 17:35 right? That is the assumption. 17:37 What is interesting to me is a lot of times we bring in 17:44 little things over the years and we try to 17:47 handle them ourselves. 17:49 Like I fell like I had a callous over my heart towards God 17:53 because I had grown up with Him, I always knew He was there. 17:57 He was just like sitting there right next to me and you can 18:01 feel Him at first and then you get used to it. 18:05 I started not having my morning devotions, 18:09 just because it was more convenient to sleep in. 18:11 I started not praying to God about every little detail 18:14 because He is there and He knows what I am thinking. 18:17 I stopped trying to communicate with Him and that is when 18:22 I felt completely empty. 18:25 Just recently I started to give my heart back to Him. 18:29 I just felt so happy and so full of life, even recently 18:34 I've lost one of my very best friends, one through death, 18:39 and one through my mistakes. 18:42 I felt like I should be really depressed, 18:49 but somehow underneath all the stuff 18:53 I just felt relieved in a way. 18:57 Just to have God in there, it is just amazing how 19:04 after feeling so down, like you don't want to live. 19:08 I think the key is what you just said is that you came 19:12 back to God and in AA and NA there is a little saying, 19:17 fake it until you make it. 19:18 Fake it till you make it! 19:19 When I was out of touch with 19:21 God and I knew I had walked 19:22 away, multiple times I had come to God and gone away. 19:25 I decided to fake it until I make it and I started force 19:28 feeding myself on the word of God. 19:30 I am going to pray even though I don't feel like it. 19:32 I'm going to read the word and if I think I need to spend 19:35 two hours in front of TV, then I need to give equal time to 19:37 my Bible and that is the only way I'm going to do it is 19:39 fake it till I make it. 19:40 I did just like what you said you did I came back to God 19:43 and started spending that time with God again and it makes 19:46 all the difference in the world because you can 19:49 fake it till you make it, I think sometimes. 19:50 It's interesting to me is what Caroline was saying, 19:56 is that I have had this relationship and started to back 20:01 away and do other things and lose touch with this 20:05 relationship that I had with God. 20:07 It is almost like you were saying, with your drug addiction 20:10 it was a slow journey to were all of a sudden you were 20:16 standing there going how did this happen? 20:19 I am here, by myself, alone and depressed and 20:21 just want to take myself out. 20:22 So whether it is done with drugs, or is done without drugs, 20:27 is we can all end up in a place where we have nothing left, 20:31 no real connections with anybody and we just want 20:33 to take ourselves out. 20:35 With Caroline we are going to go on to another question, 20:39 but with Caroline as your friend I loved hanging out and 20:43 just allowing you to spend time and talk about that and 20:48 reconnect with not only God, but with the people around you. 20:51 Which is amazing. 20:52 I know that Roma you had a question. 20:55 Right I was thinking about, it just triggered in me 20:58 when you were saying, fake it till you make it. 21:02 I recently read a book about blessings. 21:04 In scripture God does talk to us about blessing people. 21:09 There is someone in my life who has authority over me, 21:14 in my work setting, this person and I are not very close. 21:20 I like how very nicely you said that. 21:23 So when something happened and I said, 21:25 alright you need to pray for her. 21:27 So what I did, alright God, I know I am supposed to pray 21:32 for her, she is my enemy, if I could use that word 21:35 for this situation. 21:37 She is my enemy but You know that I don't really mean this 21:40 right now, so I faked it, but I was honest with Him because 21:44 He knew anyway what I was thinking. 21:46 Sure enough, I do not know if there was a change in her, 21:50 but there was a change in me. 21:51 I am no longer hard on this person and she doesn't make 21:56 me as upset as she used to. 21:58 I have to think that was an answer from God and 22:00 He changed my heart. 22:02 He may have changed hers too, I don't know, 22:04 but He changed me. 22:05 He definitely changed you, which is amazing. 22:08 I think that is one of the promises and prayer to is 22:11 that prayer is a dialogue with God. 22:14 I am stopping for a moment and saying God and going back 22:19 and forth with whatever, whether I am asking for forgiveness, 22:22 or somebody at work to be blessed, to get over depression, 22:25 or drug addiction, or suicide or any of that stuff. 22:29 I am actually taking this to God and being changed in this 22:33 relationship, and prayer sometime gets this whole magical 22:37 thing but it is just a dialogue with God. 22:40 Because God is God, the Creator of heaven and earth, 22:44 He has got angels He can send down, He's got the Holy Spirit 22:47 He can send down, He can put His creativity hand on something 22:51 and we are here saying go for it. 22:53 Please bless us, put Your hand on us and those things. 22:58 We become changed in that. 23:01 He does, and it doesn't matter where we come from, 23:03 I found this out later on, 23:05 it doesn't matter where we come from. 23:06 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, God said to me My grace is enough. 23:11 It is sufficient, it is enough for you. 23:12 "My strength is made perfect in weakness," and I have seen 23:16 that in my life and then He said, "most gladly I will glory 23:19 in My infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. " 23:22 I would not have experienced the power of God, 23:25 the power of Christ, if it wasn't for my weaknesses. 23:28 So explain to somebody that doesn't even know, 23:30 has not been in the Bible, has not been in church, 23:32 what does infirmities mean? 23:34 Oh, weaknesses, drug addiction, lying, sexual sins, 23:40 all of that, anything that takes us away from what we 23:45 perceive as acceptable. 23:47 That is different for everybody, depending on where we 23:50 grew up, alcohol wasn't bad in home I grew up in. 23:53 Alcohol was normal in our family, but we all have things 23:56 and with my husband his biggest thing was meat. 23:59 To him that was a heinous crime. 24:01 We all have things that keep us from feeling like we are 24:07 whole I believe, or feeling like we are normal, 24:10 or like we are doing the right thing where 24:12 we could live in our own skin. 24:13 Things that we become uncomfortable with doing, 24:16 that we feel like we shouldn't do. 24:17 God says in our relationship that once graced has 24:21 covered you, you will actually say those things push me 24:25 closer to God, push me in a relationship, push me to prayer. 24:28 When Roma was talking about having a conflict with her 24:32 coworker, she knows I do not want to walk around angry all 24:36 the time so it pushes me to God, saying God please. 24:39 First of all please change her, and then pretty soon 24:42 it's bless her and change me. 24:44 That's where His power can work in our weaknesses. 24:47 Whether it is with me being a drug addict, or any other 24:51 person with anger, we all have something that would be 24:54 that word infirmities, I would like to see it in another 24:58 translation, but glory, most gladly glory in my infirmities. 25:02 King James is kind of hard sometimes, but it is okay that 25:06 I have weaknesses because that is where God's power can shine 25:09 in my life, because I have been through these things, 25:11 and because I've been through them I can relate to somebody 25:14 who has been through drug addiction, or somebody who is 25:17 struggling now, I can pray for somebody knowing that there 25:19 is another side, there is a way out. 25:22 Can't you even see them now, it is almost like see somebody 25:25 it needs prayer and you say, you want to say even without 25:27 the button, can I pray for you? 25:30 Because I know what God can do because He did it for me. 25:33 I know that He can, I have seen Him do it in my life, 25:37 and I and seeing Him doing it in other people's lives now. 25:41 He is allowing me to pray for other people, 25:43 and it can be different. 25:44 There is another side, there is life after drug addiction. 25:46 You and I both know that. Right! 25:48 Even though mine was socially acceptable with high dollar 25:51 clientele, whether it is somebody on the street, whether 25:54 it is like you said sexual addiction, gambling, pornography 25:58 what ever it might be that we struggle with, we all know 26:02 somebody that is struggling. 26:03 We are all praying for somebody that is struggling. 26:06 You just cannot ever quit praying, you cannot quit praying 26:09 ever for the person. 26:10 Maybe it is your spouse, maybe it is your sibling, may be 26:14 it is you that is struggling, God knows. 26:18 But God can do miracles. 26:20 When you say maybe it is you, there is a part of me that says 26:24 don't be afraid to say to somebody, will you remember me 26:27 in prayer? Absolutely! 26:28 That is a huge thing because we don't even want to admit 26:31 that we have issues, like I do not want to tell somebody 26:35 that I am feeling so desperate today, would you pray for me? 26:39 But admit that, because we don't have, Solomon said, 26:43 everything that you have experienced someone else has 26:46 experienced, there is nothing new under the sun. 26:48 So be transparent, open up to each other, edify, affirm, 26:52 lift each other up and be supportive of each other. 26:55 The way we do that usually is through prayer. 26:58 It's huge! Absolutely it is! 27:01 We can, not only pray for each other, the Bible does tell 27:05 us to lift each other up, but been accountable, and being 27:08 transparent, being honest like you just said, be honest 27:12 about I'm feeling down today, I'm struggling today with 27:16 something, and we do have our struggles. 27:18 I had this Ebenezer box, this little wooden box and I 27:21 glued a rock on top as the Ebenezer stone. 27:24 I put 1 Samuel 12 on it and glued it on top. 27:27 It says here is where the Lord helped us. 27:30 I write down these things that I know God did in my life. 27:33 Big things, my Ebenezer's, not like I lost my watch and 27:35 found it five minutes later, but the big things where I 27:38 know God was there ahead of me and I know He did these 27:40 things and I write them on a slip of paper and put them 27:42 in that box and when I get in those dark times where I'm 27:45 struggling, I do feel like I am not getting through to God. 27:48 I can open that box and have a whole pile of evidence that 27:50 He always gets me through. 27:52 He has gotten me through everything I have ever faced. 27:54 He already knows the outcome and His plans in His hands. 27:57 He has already worked it out ahead of time and I can look 28:00 back at all the evidence and it gives me so much hope, 28:02 and so much encouragement. 28:04 Even though I feel like I can not get through today, 28:07 that is not the truth, the truth is that He will get me 28:11 through today. 28:12 And He always has before every time. 28:14 That is amazing. 28:16 I have to keep those things before me because I still do 28:18 have dark days, I still have days that I struggle with 28:22 things that I do not want to have in my life again. 28:25 Places that I do not want to go back to Egypt, 28:27 God brought me out of the land of Egypt, out of the 28:30 house of bondage, I have been wandering in the wilderness for 28:32 a long time, but now I am on my way to the promised land. 28:35 I know where I am going, but I still have to look sometimes 28:37 when I am headed back to Egypt to get that box out and see 28:40 these are my Ebenezer's, my Ebenezer steppingstones. 28:45 These are my promises, this is where my journey is taking me. 28:47 Yes and this is what God has done for me. 28:51 I want to thank you for joining us. 28:53 I want to thank you for being on the program Gerri 28:56 and I want to say that I will remember you in prayer. 28:59 Thank you and I will pray for your Ministry too. 29:02 What you do for the people and the lives you touch 29:05 and the lives of the people that God still plans to put 29:07 in your path and be touched by you. 29:09 God can start working on their hearts today. 29:11 Thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me. 29:13 We are going to go ahead and take a break. 29:15 I want you to stay with us because we want to summarize 29:21 this whole thing. 29:22 We will be right back! |
Revised 2014-12-17