Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), Neil Nedley MD
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001459A
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01:30 [hopeful anthem]
01:50 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, 01:53 thanks for joining me. When it comes to 01:55 matters of faith, matters of the Bible, 01:58 faith in God is by very definition a rather intellectual 02:02 exercise, that is to say, what does the Bible say? 02:07 And beyond that, what does the Bible mean? 02:10 However, faith in God is faith in God. 02:14 It's not just about a belief system. 02:17 A person who has faith in God 02:19 enters into a relationship with an individual. 02:22 So far from simply the intellect being involved, the emotions are 02:28 and must be involved when it comes to matters of faith. 02:32 How can a person be emotionally healthy, and how does that, 02:37 or even does that, affect our relationship with God? 02:40 We're going to find that out today, because my guest, 02:42 my special guest, is Dr. Neil Nedley, 02:45 the president of Nedley Health Solutions. 02:48 Dr. Nedley, thanks for being here, welcome to It Is Written. 02:51 NN: Thank you. Great to be here, John. 02:53 JB: Intelligence. NN: Yes. 02:55 JB: It's not just about the mind, it's about the emotions, 02:58 because I'm hearing more and more, and I'm hearing quite 03:02 a bit of it from you, about emotional intelligence. 03:06 NN: Yes. JB: Now, what's that? 03:08 NN: Emotional intelligence is really five things. 03:10 Knowing our emotions, in other words, 03:13 being aware of what we are feeling and why, precisely 03:18 why we're feeling that way. Secondly, managing our emotions. 03:23 People with low emotional intelligence are managed 03:27 by their emotions. People with high emotional 03:30 intelligence still have emotions, but they are managing 03:33 those emotions. JB: That's a really key point 03:36 that, isn't it? NN: It is. 03:37 JB: Being controlled by, but controlling your emotion. 03:39 NN: Exactly. And controlling your emotions is 03:41 also vital for part of the psychological good life that's 03:46 being emerging in a lot of studies, called self-control. 03:50 Those who have self-control actually psychologically are far 03:55 better off than those who don't. The key element of that is 03:58 managing our emotions. That's part of self-control. 04:02 JB: And what are the other three? 04:03 NN: The third one is recognizing emotions in others and really 04:07 having some empathy toward others, which is part of 04:10 recognizing emotions in others. Fourth is managing relationships 04:13 with others. And then five, in the word 04:17 emotion is the word motion. And so the fifth part of 04:21 emotional intelligence is motivating yourself to achieve 04:25 your goals. JB: What do we talk about when 04:27 we talk about our emotions? They are joy, sadness, 04:31 you tell me. NN: Sure. Actually, 04:32 calm is an emotion too. Sometimes we think calm 04:35 is not feeling. But no, the emotion of feeling 04:37 calm is actually normally a good thing. 04:40 Bitterness, sadness, disappointment. 04:44 JB: Okay. So why is emotional intelligence 04:49 important? NN: Well, IQ is our capacity to 04:52 learn, retain and apply knowledge. 04:55 And emotional intelligence is being able to manage our 05:00 emotions, to know them, manage our relationships with others, 05:04 and proper motivation. JB: Do we need to make a big 05:06 deal out of this, or can't people just be people? 05:09 NN: Oh, people can be people. I'm not saying that we shouldn't 05:13 be ourselves and be people. But we should, actually, 05:16 be balanced people and in control of ourselves. 05:20 JB: It's not being managed by your emotions 05:22 but managing your emotions. NN: Exactly. 05:25 We all go through nuisances of life. 05:27 Studies show that successful and enjoyable living is 05:31 much more connected to emotional intelligence 05:34 than general intelligence. JB: Okay, that's key. 05:35 You can be someone who's emotionally intelligent, 05:39 but you can lose your grip. NN: You can lose your grip. 05:41 JB: And pay consequences. NN: And what is ideal, I mean, 05:44 not only is it ideal, but it really ramps it up, is when we 05:46 have comprehensive emotional intelligence all the time. 05:51 And it's possible. Not only is it possible, it is 05:55 something that every human being can actually achieve. 05:59 JB: How do you take this thing under, get your emotions under 06:02 control and function really positively? 06:05 NN: There's two main ways. One of the ways that often, 06:10 you know, studies focus in onto is what 06:13 we're putting into our body and what we're doing with our body. 06:16 So, for instance, if you're on a regular exercise program, 06:20 it helps your emotional intelligence. 06:21 If you're getting adequate sleep, it helps your emotional 06:24 intelligence. If you're eating the right 06:26 foods, it helps the emotional intelligence. 06:29 So those are important but, it turns out, 06:31 not the most important. As important as those are, 06:35 the most important thing affecting our emotional 06:38 intelligence is our beliefs, our evaluation of events, 06:44 the way we think about problems, and our silent self-talk. 06:50 This is the moment-by-moment messages we give ourselves. 06:55 That is the most crucial aspect to emotional intelligence. 06:59 JB: But you can eat your way to healthier emotions? 07:02 NN: A few years ago there was a businessman who won the contract 07:06 for the California prisons. The first thing he did was he 07:11 had a nutritionist interview the prisoners coming in to the 07:15 California state prison. And the nutritionist told them 07:20 what they were eating could actually have an effect on their 07:22 emotions and emotional intelligence. 07:25 And it turns out that the diet she was recommending-- and, of 07:28 course, there's scientific backing for this-- was a 07:30 plant-based diet. And some prisoners thought it 07:34 was punishment enough to be in prison, but to be on a 07:37 plant-based diet would be cruel and unusual punishment, so they 07:40 chose the typical American diet. But it turns out over 90% of the 07:45 prisoners chose the plant-based diet, meaning that she was a 07:50 good educator, and they were motivated to try this diet. 07:55 Within a few weeks, they mentioned how, you know, for 07:59 anyone who's been in a prison, there are stressful things that 08:02 happen in that prison, from the other prisoners and from the 08:04 guards, and herding the prisoners around, 08:06 and a lot of stressful things. But they noticed that they were 08:09 able to manage their emotions, and they were able to talk to 08:12 the security guard, even if they were upset, they were able to 08:15 talk to him in measured tones, and the security guard actually 08:18 listened to them. And they said, you know what? 08:20 I think if I were eating like this on the outside, 08:23 I probably never would have ended up in there. 08:25 The people who got out, it was actually a 08:27 correctional facility. And so they were corrected, 08:32 to a large part, in regard to what they 08:34 were putting into their bodies. So it can have a crucial impact. 08:37 JB: Controlling your emotions. You can control your emotions 08:41 and be emotionally intelligent. And that's going to have a 08:45 powerful impact on your relationship with God. 08:47 Don't go away. We'll have more 08:49 in just a moment. 08:54 JB: Christianity builds its hope of forgiveness and eternal life 08:56 on a relationship. It's kind of sad, then, that we 09:00 find ourselves rushing through life, checking the news or 09:02 social media while we're inhaling our breakfast. 09:05 We often don't have time for God. 09:07 Doesn't a relationship as important as this one deserve 09:10 quality time? To learn more, request our free 09:14 booklet, "Quality Time." Just call 800-253-3000 and ask 09:18 for your copy of "Quality Time." If the line's busy, please try 09:24 again. Or you can write to: 09:26 It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. 09:31 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 09:34 Again, our toll-free number is 800-253-3000, and our web 09:40 address is ItIsWritten.com. 09:44 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 09:46 Thank you for joining me today. I'm being joined by Dr. Neil 09:50 Nedley, the president of Nedley Health Solutions, and today 09:52 we're discussing emotional intelligence. 09:56 We hear about IQ, but what about EQ? 10:01 We're learning that a person can be in control of their emotions 10:06 rather than be controlled by their emotions. 10:10 And Dr. Nedley, there are so many people who loath themselves 10:13 because they lose their temper, or there are people who wish 10:16 that they could be up because they continually seem to be 10:19 in a funk. And I know that right now lights 10:21 are going on, and people are saying, "You mean I don't have 10:23 to be a slave to my emotions?" NN: No, absolutely not. 10:26 In fact, we have the evidence, in just ten days-- now, 10:31 it's a comprehensive program but, you know, for instance, 10:34 right now even as we're speaking here I'm running a 10:37 ten-day program for those with severe depression 10:39 and anxiety. One of the tests they take is an 10:42 emotional intelligence test when they come in. 10:45 And when they leave they'll take it again, ten days later. 10:48 Our program enhances the frontal lobe, analyzes the way they 10:53 think, those sorts of things. It's not specifically for EQ, 10:57 but what happens in the average mentally ill individual is their 11:03 emotional intelligence goes up by well over two standard 11:08 deviations. They start out below average 11:11 in general, and they end up in the 11:12 top 20 percentile of the country in most instances. 11:16 So not only do they leave depression- and anxiety-free, 11:20 they also are poised for success on a level that's far higher 11:25 than people who've never suffered from depression 11:28 and anxiety. So the point is, in ten days, 11:32 if you focus in on it in the right way, it can dramatically 11:35 change for the better. So emotional intelligence 11:38 can be learned. It's not just inherited. 11:40 JB: If I believe a certain race of people have no rights 11:45 to live, this is going to dramatically affect the way I 11:49 express my emotions, hate, persecutional, that may be not 11:53 an emotion, and that's going to affect how I act out 11:56 toward people. NN: Yes. 11:58 JB: Okay, if I believe in "love your neighbor as yourself," 12:01 surely then that's going to impact my emotions. 12:03 NN: Exactly. JB: What was number 2? 12:06 NN: Our evaluation of events. JB: Meaning something happened, 12:09 and how do I perceive that and weigh that up. 12:11 NN: Exactly. JB: Explain that. 12:12 NN: What we want to do is be very objective in our evaluation 12:16 of events. JB: For instance, that lady who 12:19 served me at the check-out, she was rude, 12:23 she had an attitude toward me, I'm so ticked off. 12:27 However, somebody else says, you know, 12:30 I saw that she had just dropped a box on her toe and she 12:33 was under some stress, and therefore... 12:35 Is this what we're talking about, evaluating events? 12:37 NN: Our bad emotions are not caused by things outside of 12:42 ourselves entirely. JB: Okay. 12:46 NN: For instance, if the person was very rude to you at the 12:48 counter, what you need to recognize is for you to get 12:53 upset at that, you have to actually not only be 12:57 treated rudely, but you have to allow that individual 13:00 to get you upset. JB: That's true. 13:02 You can make a decision-- NN: There's a decision 13:04 and there's a thought-making process there. 13:06 JB: That's really interesting. NN: And part of emotional 13:08 intelligence is recognizing that we are actually responsible 13:13 for our own emotions. JB: Point three and point four. 13:16 Evaluating events, that's learning to look 13:17 objectively at things that have taken place, 13:20 and not loading an event with the kind of baggage that's going 13:22 to weigh you down emotionally. What was three and four? 13:25 NN: The way we think about problems. 13:27 When you have a practical problem, for instance, your car 13:30 breaks down and you're in the, you know, you're in the middle 13:33 of having to get to work on time, and it's very crucial for 13:36 you to get to work on time. That's a practical problem. 13:40 But if you have an emotional reaction to that problem of such 13:44 where you're so angry and upset that you can't even wisely help 13:49 direct people get your car off the road and to the side, and 13:54 you're so emotionally upset that you can't think properly to how 13:59 it's going to get fixed, that's going to be a major issue. 14:03 And so often people, when they have a problem, 14:05 they actually introduce another problem that is 14:08 often worse, and that is their emotional reaction to it. 14:12 And when they realize, hey, that practical problem is going to be 14:14 there whether I'm miserable about it or not, so why not just 14:19 give up my misery over it? And then they can actually think 14:23 far better, actually be far more better relationship partners, 14:28 and they can actually get to the root of the problem often, 14:31 and correct it far better. JB: Point four? 14:34 NN: Point four is our silent self-talk. 14:36 Those are the moment-by-moment messages we give ourselves. 14:39 JB: Okay. NN: And here's the issue in 14:40 regard to that. Our feelings, actually, what we 14:45 think has more to do with our emotions than what is happening 14:50 in our life. And what a lot of people don't 14:54 realize is, research has documented that negative 14:58 thoughts which cause emotional turmoil nearly always contain 15:03 gross distortions. On the surface it appears valid, 15:07 but often when we have these very negative emotions we have 15:10 some irrational beliefs, our thinking often is twisted 15:15 or just plain wrong, and actually, 15:17 twisted thinking is a major cause of suffering. 15:21 JB: Boy, there's so much we could talk about here, but I 15:22 want to get to how we think, how a person can learn to think 15:30 positively and productively. And we're going to see how this 15:34 powerfully impacts one's relationship with God. 15:37 Learning to think straight and be emotionally intelligent. 15:42 More in just a moment. 15:44 [gentle positive melody] "Every Word" is a one-minute, 15:46 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 15:48 Bradshaw, and designed especially for busy people like 15:51 you. Look for "Every Word" on 15:54 selected networks or watch it online every day on our website, 15:57 ItIsWritten.com. 16:00 [upbeat melody] 16:07 JB: A Mayo Clinic study has found that pessimists have 16:11 higher death rates over a 30-year period than do 16:13 optimistic people. The Mayo Clinic says optimism is 16:17 the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative 16:20 events are temporary setbacks to be overcome. 16:23 That's a lot like Romans 8:28, isn't it, which says that 16:27 "all things work together for good to them that love God, 16:29 to them who are called according to His purpose." 16:31 That's not to say everything that happens is going to make 16:35 you happy. But faith in God enables you to 16:37 believe that things are going to work out okay in the end. 16:40 Why? Because God's in charge. 16:41 You can afford to look on the bright side, because God is 16:44 ultimately going to work things out okay. 16:47 And that kind of optimism can lead to a very long life. 16:53 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 16:55 Let's live today by every word. 17:01 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, joined today 17:04 by Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, we're talking about 17:07 emotional intelligence, how to manage your emotions rather than 17:11 being governed by your emotions. NN: Yes. 17:15 JB: We talked about some fascinating things. 17:17 In just a second I want you to tell me how to think straight. 17:20 NN: (laughs) Okay. JB: But give me an example of 17:23 somebody who was confronted with a negative situation, rather 17:26 than caving into the situation and just bottoming out, 17:30 they approached it in a positive light with good consequences. 17:36 NN: Well, a good ancient example is actually Paul and Silas. 17:39 You know, they were taken against their will, they were, 17:42 they had done nothing wrong deserving of this. 17:44 They were beaten 39 times with a cat-o-nine-tails, and then they 17:48 were put on an irregular dirt floor, not a nice even floor, 17:53 their feet were put up in stocks. 17:56 JB: Yeah, that's a bad scene. NN: And you would think that 17:59 they would be crying uncontrollably in prison, 18:02 and saying, "Why us, Lord?" JB: And, in fact, they had 18:05 gone-- this was in Philippi, and they had gone there, 18:07 I think it's Acts, chapter 16-- they had gone there 18:10 to do God's work. NN: Yes. 18:11 JB: They followed God's leading to this city to do this great 18:14 work for God, and all they get for it is this! 18:17 NN: Exactly. JB: And how would-- 18:18 how would you react? NN: Yeah. 18:20 JB: You know. NN: Instead, they had happy 18:22 looks on their faces, and they were singing praises to God. 18:26 And what that demonstrates is that our thoughts have much more 18:31 to do about how we're feeling than what is actually 18:36 happening in our life. So what was happening 18:39 in their life, they should be feeling terrible. 18:41 But their thoughts were not pop psychology thoughts. 18:45 Pop psychology might say, imagine you're on a beach 18:47 in Hawaii. That would have worked for 18:49 no more than 1.2 seconds. But they were thinking true 18:52 and accurate thoughts. And those true and accurate 18:54 thoughts were so powerful that even under the most torture-some 18:57 conditions they could have a happy look on their face and 19:01 they could sing praises to God. That's how powerful 19:04 the thoughts are. JB: Isn't it true-- 19:06 I've done this in group sittings-- 19:08 isn't it true that you can choose to feel miserable 19:11 and very quickly you're miserable. 19:14 NN: That's right. JB: If you focus in on something 19:15 and you think of something negative, very quickly. 19:17 At the same time, you can choose to think positive thoughts, 19:21 and I mean productive, not airy-fairy stuff. 19:24 NN: No, that's right. They have to be accurate 19:26 thoughts, but they can be on the positive side. 19:30 And what we have a tendency to do is think of only one side of 19:35 the equation and not balance it out with the whole better world 19:40 view that would help our emotions. 19:41 JB: There's a lot of "poor me," "I didn't deserve this," 19:44 "Life is so unfair." And that doesn't tend to make positive, 19:48 productive, healthy people. NN: No. 19:50 And what we need to realize is, if we live in this world we are 19:53 going to be treated unfairly. JB: That's true. 19:55 NN: Sometimes very significantly. 19:56 I mean, this is a world of sin. To me, I get excited when 20:01 I actually am treated fairly, because I expect that in this 20:05 world of sin we're just going to be treated unfairly at times. 20:07 But how we deal with the fact that we are being treated 20:10 unfairly has a lot to do with our emotional intelligence. 20:13 JB: So how do we learn to think straight, to think right, 20:15 to think healthily? Because this here 20:19 is going to-- this is life-changing stuff! 20:22 NN: Yes. JB: Walk us through some of 20:23 these ways that we can think straight. 20:27 That's my terminology. NN: The first thing we need to 20:29 do is to analyze our thoughts. So we're not going to be able 20:32 to think straight unless we are able to actually analyze 20:37 the thoughts that we have. JB: That sounds like 20:39 something only someone with a Ph.D. could do. 20:41 NN: (laughs) Sometimes the people who have the most 20:44 difficulty, I've noticed, are really into the 20:47 National Football League. So I'll give them 20:48 an example they can understand. JB: All right. 20:51 NN: I'll say, listen to the John Madden in your thoughts. 20:54 You know how there's a big, you know, event that occurs, 20:57 you know, the big play. And John Madden goes, and then 21:00 he explains and slows it down and says, "Okay, now this 21:02 happened because of this, and this happened 21:05 because of that," and so it's all laid out. 21:07 JB: All right. NN: So when things happen, 21:09 listen to the John Madden in your thoughts, 21:11 and analyze what happened. JB: What really happened. 21:14 NN: Secondly, you have to look for distortions 21:18 in your thoughts. JB: What is a distortion 21:20 in your thoughts? NN: Turns out there's 21:21 ten different ways of distorted thinking. 21:24 And so all-or-nothing thinking, for instance... 21:27 JB: What is that? NN: ...most of the time 21:29 is distorted. An example of that would be a 21:31 patient that I had who came to me who was a successful 21:35 businessperson, but he ran for Congress and he lost the race. 21:39 And he comes to me and he says, 21:40 "Dr. Nedley, I lost the race for Congress. 21:43 I am a big zero." That's all-or-nothing thinking. 21:46 Just because you lose a race doesn't mean you're a big zero. 21:49 Just because you get a divorce doesn't mean you're a big zero. 21:52 Just because you flunked a test doesn't mean you're a big zero. 21:55 But that's where all-or-nothing thinking leads to. 21:58 JB: Ah, okay. NN: And it can happen the other 22:00 way around as well, where just because I hit a home run that my 22:04 team won the World Series, I'm the most valuable player and 22:07 there's nobody better than me. That's actually a setup for an 22:10 emotional disaster as well. And so both of them are actually 22:15 distorted thoughts that are going to lead to problems. 22:18 JB: Okay. NN: And then there's other 22:19 things, like a mental filter. You know, an example of this is 22:22 someone who came to one of our programs recently. 22:24 He says, "You know, my life is just, 22:27 it's just terrible." And I said, 22:28 "Well, explain." He says, "You know, my wife nags, 22:31 I've got bills piling up, my boss yells at me 22:36 almost constantly. And furthermore, I'm going bald, 22:41 and I'm short and fat," and, you know, that was 22:44 his side of the equation. As we continued the 22:47 conversation, I realized he had a wife who was very attractive, 22:51 he actually had kids that he had a good relationship with, 22:56 he actually enjoyed his church, he had good friends, and even 23:00 though he was short and fat, he could still walk 23:02 and feed himself. JB: So how did he get this thing 23:05 so far out of whack, and what could he do to adjust this? 23:07 This just takes looking at this with new eyes, right? 23:11 NN: That's right. When you have a mental filter, 23:13 you have to be intentional and forceful for looking 23:16 for evidence that supports a different way of thinking. 23:20 JB: Glass half full, glass half empty. 23:22 NN: That's right. JB: You can learn to look 23:23 on the positive side. NN: Yes. 23:25 JB: Wow. NN: And sometimes 23:26 it does take time. It has to be intentional 23:28 and forceful. You know, 23:29 Joseph suffered from PTSD, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 23:33 He could smell the smells of the pit, he could hear 23:37 the exact voices, he knew what those brothers did. 23:40 When he was faced with them, of having all of that poor 23:42 emotional reaction, he refused to have a mental filter, 23:46 and he was an intentional and forceful for searching 23:50 for a different way of thinking about his brothers. 23:52 And it took him time, but he found that different way 23:54 of thinking about his brothers, and that's when he revealed 23:56 himself and that great family moment occurred. 23:59 JB: What are some other ways to learn to think-- 24:02 to learn to think? NN: Over-generalization 24:05 would be another one. JB: They're all alike. 24:07 They all treat me bad. Is that an over-generalization? 24:09 NN: That's an over-generalization. 24:10 My roommate in college, I remember he had his eye 24:13 on a girl for about six months before he mustered up 24:15 enough courage to ask her out. And when he comes back, and she 24:19 turned him down, you know, he's ready to cry, and he says, 24:23 "Neil, I'm destined to be lonely and miserable 24:26 the rest of my life." JB: All right. 24:27 NN: And he over-generalized two ways. 24:28 One way is because she turned him down once, he knew she was 24:31 always going to turn him down. Did he really know that 24:33 to be true? No. 24:34 Secondly, 100% of eligible women had identical taste to hers, 24:38 and thus he would be endlessly rejected. 24:40 JB: Uh-huh. NN: And so people with 24:42 that cognitive distortion have a fear of rejection, 24:44 fear of trying new things. And it's actually the cognitive 24:47 distortion that can affect even great people. 24:50 JB: Yeah, that is a distortion, isn't it? 24:52 NN: When we have the ability to generalize, which is high IQ, 24:55 we have a tendency to over-generalize. 24:58 And over-generalization is going to cause emotional problems. 25:02 JB: In Philippians chapter 2, verse 5, the Bible says, 25:05 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." 25:11 Verse 13: "It is God which worketh in you 25:14 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." So is the key 25:17 here being connected to God and remaining connected to God? 25:20 NN: The Bible says, "Be transformed by the renewing 25:24 of your mind." That means correcting 25:26 the distorted thoughts. And David said to God, 25:29 "Search me, try me, know my thoughts." 25:32 What he was saying is, see if there's any distorted way. 25:34 I want to know about it. I may not see the distortions, 25:37 but see if you can point out the distorted ways, so that I can be 25:40 led to life everlasting. And so it's not just knowing 25:45 the truth as far as doctrinal teaching. 25:50 The psalmist also said, well, who's going to dwell in my 25:52 tabernacle, thy holy hill, those that walk uprightly and 25:56 state the truth to themselves. Not just telling others 26:00 the truth, but telling themselves the truth. 26:02 That is really those who will be ultimately successful. 26:05 JB: The wonderful thing is, we can, we can take responsibility, 26:12 implement some theoretically simple steps and practices, 26:18 we can have new minds. NN: Exactly. 26:20 JB: Think new thoughts, and it can certainly be done as we 26:24 allow Christ into our minds. We can start thinking His way 26:28 and be healthy emotionally. NN: Bringing every thought to 26:31 the captivity of Christ. JB: Amen. 26:33 Dr. Nedley, thanks. NN: Thank you. 26:36 JB: What a blessing to know that emotional intelligence is 26:38 something you can possess, and when your mind is renewed, 26:42 your relationship with God is going to be like 26:44 it's never been before. 26:50 JB: It's basic. While most world religions are 26:53 built around the idea of earning your way to a better future, 26:57 Christianity builds its hope of forgiveness and eternal life 27:01 on a relationship. It's kind of sad, then, 27:04 that we find ourselves rushing through life, 27:05 checking the news or social media while we're 27:08 inhaling our breakfast. We often don't have time 27:10 for God. Doesn't a relationship as 27:12 important as this one deserve quality time? 27:16 That's what God longs for, and He invites you to spend 27:20 meaningful, life-changing time with Him. 27:23 To learn more, request our free booklet, "Quality Time." 27:27 Just call 800-253-3000 and ask for your copy of 27:31 "Quality Time." If the line's busy, 27:34 please try again. Or you can write to 27:36 It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. 27:41 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 27:45 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 27:48 it possible for us to share God's Good News with the world. 27:52 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 27:54 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 27:59 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 28:01 Again, our toll-free number is 800-253-3000, and our web 28:07 address is ItIsWritten.com. 28:11 JB: Dr. Nedley, we've covered some ground today, and I wish we 28:14 could have covered a whole lot more. 28:15 What a magnificent topic. Thank you very much 28:18 for joining me today. NN: Thank you. 28:20 It's been great being here. JB: I think we'll take the 28:21 opportunity to pray now. Join us, would you, 28:24 as we pray together? [gentle melody] 28:25 Our Father in Heaven, we can be transformed by 28:29 the renewing of our mind. By your grace we can bring into 28:31 captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 28:35 And I ask you that you would take possession of us to such an 28:39 extent that our minds would be one, the mind of the believer 28:43 and the mind of the great God of the universe. 28:45 So sovereign Lord, I pray, give us a new mind, 28:50 let us think your way, transform us emotionally, 28:55 and grow us that we can be one with you now, 28:59 and for all eternity. In Jesus' name we pray, 29:03 Amen. 29:14 [soft sustained strings] JB: Thank you so much for 29:16 joining me today. I'm looking forward to seeing 29:18 you again next time. Until then, please remember, 29:22 It Is Written: Man shall not live 29:25 by bread alone, but by every word 29:29 that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:31 [sweeling orchestral theme] |
Revised 2017-01-04