Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201915S
|
00:00 ♪♪ ♪♪
00:11 >> It has stood the test of time, God's book, 00:17 the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world. 00:24 "It Is Written," sharing messages of hope 00:29 around the world. ♪♪ 00:39 >> Welcome, and thank you for joining us on "It Is Written Canada." 00:42 Today we're gonna be talking to some students here at Fountainview Academy in 00:45 beautiful British Columbia. This is a Christian high school, and we're gonna ask them a 00:49 question about being kind. I mean, Christians should be kind, right? 00:52 And so what does it mean to go out of your way to make a difference in this world? 00:56 And whenever I think of that topic -- making a difference -- I think of a student's poem. 01:01 Ryan Cox wrote a poem when I was teaching English, and he shared that poem, and that poem was 01:07 called "That Difference." >> So before we talk to some students over here, why don't 01:12 we listen to Ryan's poem? Here it is. [ School bell rings ] 01:20 >> I feel the need to increase my pace. As I'm walking down the hall, 01:23 there's a girl with tears on her face, expressionless. As the white on the wall, she 01:26 looks tired, just wanting to be admired, longing to be desired, she wants her cry heard. 01:30 So I keep on walking, pretending to be talking on the phone. I feign we're not alone. 01:34 Yeah, sounds good, okay. I'm too shy to stop and say, "How you doing? 01:37 Can I help in any way?" I want to make a difference, help others see their 01:41 significance. But it's hard and I'm busy and I don't know them. 01:44 This world is full of people. Depressed, possessed, oppressed, obsessed, and people like me who 01:48 are overly blessed. If others less fortunate would see how I lived, they'd say, 01:51 "Why can't he just a little more give?" I may not be rich in materials 01:55 and money, but I live in a privileged country, and I have a loving family. 01:58 I've never gone a day without food. I'm hungry at breakfast and 02:01 again at 10:00. I'm used to eating again and again. 02:03 And if I were as hungry to serve as I am for food, how much would that change my attitude? 02:07 People need friends as much as they need to breathe. They need you to listen like a 02:11 baby needs you to kiss them. To be a friend till life comes to an end is to be there to 02:14 care. It doesn't matter where. Just don't be unaware of the man 02:17 in the wheelchair. Care in the midst of despair and morph and just be there. 02:21 If I'm gonna make a difference, I start with the little things, 'cause every butterfly's a 02:25 caterpillar before it gets its wings. So I try to help people. 02:28 I cut a boy's hair in my free time. I didn't charge even a dime. 02:31 He gets up and leaves. Not a word left behind. I sweep up the mess. 02:35 And to the next passing stranger, I express, "Why can't people be more grateful?" 02:38 Well, I'm missing the point. It's not about me. To serve for recognition is to 02:42 completely abandon the mission. To relate to people like a hypodermic needle, we must peer 02:46 beyond the surface, see more than just the skin. I must find a way in to help him 02:50 find a way out. Every action I take and every promise I make, keeping people 02:54 in mind, I strive to be more kind. When nobody's there, do I still 02:57 care? When there's no one to remind me, am I thinking of those still 03:00 coming behind me? A mess that I made that shouldn't have stayed. 03:03 I think, "Someone will fix it." No, I shouldn't have missed it. The other day, I dropped a 03:07 staple somewhere under the table. A split-second shuffle, 03:10 the mental struggle. Do I pick it up, or do I leave it? 03:12 I finally made the decision to retrieve it. It's such a small, little thing. 03:16 Take the time to look around. Find where there's a need. Be willing to stand and take 03:20 lead may mean bending down to take a hand, to lend an ear, or shed a tear. 03:24 Make your perspiration their inspiration, and don't say, "I don't seem to notice. 03:27 I'm not observant." Just pray and say, "Lord, make me a servant." 03:31 I feel the urge to slow down. Just take a look around. To find wisdom, we need to 03:35 soothe, to clothe, to feed. This world is full of people. People have a need to slow down 03:40 the speed of life's constant stampede, 'cause they're in a rut. 03:42 They can't seem to proceed. They feel like they're stuck. They need to be free. 03:45 They need someone like you to stand up and lead. Someone to intercede. 03:48 They need to proofread and re-read. And even though it's hard and 03:51 I'm thinking, "I don't know them," I'm gonna take the time to show them that I care and 03:55 that God is always there to help others see their significance. I want to make that difference. 04:03 ♪♪ >> So, Ryan, where did you get the ideas to write that poem? 04:16 >> Sure, yeah. So, the opening lines of the poem talk about this girl in a 04:20 hallway and just very -- You know, she was crying, and it was an experience I had when I was a 04:25 student, and it really -- For some reason, it stuck in my mind. 04:28 So when the assignment came up in Mr. Lemon's class, that's what I started with, 04:34 and the ideas kind of flowed from there. Just talking about how I kind of 04:39 wished I had done something there. I remember walking by. 04:41 I literally pull out my phone. It's, like, open a phone or do something. 04:44 I'm just like, "Huh, huh," just trying to get by. [ Laughter ] 04:47 So that's basically where the idea came from. >> So you're kind of 04:51 ignoring her. >> Oh, entirely. >> Trying to... 04:53 >> I didn't want to talk. It was awkward. >> Yeah. 04:56 It was an awkward situation. >> Oh, yeah. >> Was it a time situation? 04:59 You didn't have time to speak with her? >> Yeah, I mean, there's lots of 05:01 things that keep us from doing that. At the time, I was headed 05:04 somewhere with a mission, so I didn't want to stop, take time to do that, and it just, you 05:10 know, it's like, you know, it was awkward. >> I really like the poem. 05:12 It really is -- It makes a difference just to listen to that, to realize that our 05:18 mission is not to walk past people. I mean, people are our mission, 05:22 and to spend time with them when they're -- You can see they're obviously hurting. 05:27 Or to help them when they ask you. I mean, sometimes people ask 05:31 you, "Can you give me a hand?" You're just like, "Oh, I don't know if have the time." 05:35 And it's like, "Yeah, okay, I'll do it," you know? It kind of reminds me of the 05:39 story of the Good Samaritan, you know, where you got someone who's hurt on the side of the 05:43 road, and the religious person, the Levite, walks by and, you know, the priest walks by. 05:48 And then finally, the guy who's hated is the Samaritan. You know, they think that he's, 05:53 you know, he's the worst possible person. Yet he was the nicest guy 05:56 in the story. He stops, he helps the guy, spends money on him, you know, 06:00 puts him on his donkey. He's an agent of healing. So, yeah. 06:06 Can you think of an experience that you've possibly had where you've helped someone and it 06:10 made a difference for you, it made a difference for the other person? 06:13 >> Sure, yeah. You know, recently, I was heading on a plane from 06:18 Tennessee up here to B.C. And I'm sitting at my gate, you know, just waiting to load. 06:24 And they had us all packed in there like sardines. We're just waiting, you know, 06:27 and I'm sitting there eating this bag of trail mix. Across from me is an older lady 06:31 eating a bag of chips, you know. So here I'm eating my trail mix. She's eating her chips. 06:35 And I'm finishing. And just as I finish, I get up, and I notice she's finished, as 06:40 well. And I offer to take her trash, 'cause that's where I'm headed. 06:45 And she hands me her bag and exchange some pleasantries and move on, throw it away. 06:50 Come back down, and, you know, we talked a little bit. You know, "Where you from?" 06:55 Nice, you know, usual stuff. And we're interrupted. We get on the plane. 06:58 And had a nice, three-hour nap. And as I get off the plane, she comes up. 07:05 Well, I didn't know. I'm walking off, right? And someone taps me on the 07:08 shoulder. I look around, and it's that lady again. 07:11 And she looks at me, and she's like -- She almost got a little tear in her eye, and she says, 07:15 "You know --" She calls me "son." She's, like, "Hey, son, you 07:20 know, keep it up. People don't do those kind of things anymore," you know. 07:23 And it meant something to me. And, you know, we talked a little more after that. 07:29 But, you know, I tell that, not because, you know, I did something great. 07:32 I just took someone's trash. But it had an impact on me, because it showed how something 07:36 so small as taking someone's trash can open doors, you know? It was a little thing. 07:43 It made a little difference in her life. But it opened the door for 07:46 someone else or myself to make a bigger difference, you know, spiritually, show her Christ, et 07:50 cetera. So, you know, it's the little things that do open bigger 07:56 doors. So in the Bible, they use this big word "stewardship." 07:58 >> Yeah. >> Do you know what that means? >> A steward would be someone 08:02 who manages someone else's property or something. >> Exactly. 08:07 >> In other words, God's blessings or resources He gives to us. 08:12 >> So God blesses us with so many talents. Sometimes those talents are 08:15 money. Sometimes it's time that we have, and you gave that lady 08:20 your time, your energy. But God gives us sometimes just talents, abilities, great 08:25 responsibilities. And we can use those to bless others. 08:30 So it's like God is giving us something. So, say for example, my wife 08:34 gave me a water bottle, and she said, "Give it to Ryan." So I say, "I'll give it to 08:39 Ryan," and then I keep it for myself. If I kept it for myself, I would 08:44 be stealing from you. And when God gives us these blessings, we are to use them to 08:49 bless others, and that is what it means to be a good steward. And it reminds me of the story 08:54 that we're gonna watch right now by a man -- an experience that he had. 08:58 His name is Burke, and so we're gonna that story right now. >> You know, when I was asked to 09:04 do this thing on stewardship, you begin to realize you know very little about it. 09:09 It's something that God uses to teach you His ways and help you to see the difference between 09:16 yourself and Him. Since I'm in construction, I get to see a lot of different 09:21 people, and the Lord was able to let me meet people that needed to know about Him. 09:27 I remember one time I lost a job. I had been planning on it. 09:30 The owner had talked to me for about a year, on a big job. He'd say, you know, I want to 09:35 make sure you can do it and your crew can do it. I hadn't planned any other job 09:38 for that month or two there, except his job. And so just before it came time 09:43 to do it, I phoned him. I said, "I want to make sure that, you know, everything's set 09:48 up for it." I had sent him a price and different things, and he said, 09:51 "Oh, no, you didn't get the job." And I thought, "What? 09:55 You know, we'd been planning on this thing a whole year and everything, and I thought, "What 10:01 is going on?" So it really irritated me, and I thought, "Somebody's pulled 10:04 something off." Now, I stuck with my men. I thought, "What am I gonna do 10:08 with my men?" But the Lord had been pushing me, as I'd been studying in the 10:11 mornings, we got to be helping other people. I realized that a lot of times 10:16 I'm just looking after my own interests. Anyway, I thought, "What am I 10:20 going to do with my men?" And I got a call from a company in Vancouver, and they said, 10:24 "There's a company right now on the island that is going to get their bond pulled because 10:29 they're not able to fulfill the job that they had taken. So he said, "You know, can you 10:35 come and maybe we can help the guy so he doesn't fail?" And it just turned out I had my 10:40 men with nothing to do, and I thought, "Oh, boy, I've never had anybody ever ask that 10:44 before." 'Cause in business, we all sort of compete with each other, 10:48 rather than try to help each other. [ Chuckles ] 10:50 So I said, "Okay, sure." So I went down, and I thought, "Boy, this is gonna be a long 10:53 job," and my son went down there, and pretty soon he phones back and he said, "Man, 10:58 everything is working perfectly here, and we're almost done." And it was just a short period 11:02 of time. So then I -- One morning, and I'm studying and praying, and I 11:07 can see this stuff about helping others, and I thought, "Well, the needy. 11:11 God made it so that we could help this guy." And then I get a phone call. 11:15 It's about 5:30 in the morning, and I hear this voice, and it said, "Hello. 11:20 I'm kind of in trouble. I've got this job, and I can't seem to perform at it, and I 11:25 wondered if you could come help us." It turned out to be the job that 11:30 I had lost, that had kind of been given away to this other guy. 11:33 And instantly in my mind, I thought, "Oh, good. This is exactly what I wanted to 11:37 have happened to the owner." But then there's this thing, you know, in the Bible that says 11:42 you're supposed to help others, love your enemies and those who despitefully use you and all 11:47 that. And so I'm thinking, "Oh, man." And I could hear his troubled 11:51 voice. I said, "Sure, I'll maybe come over, and we'll talk." 11:54 And I phoned my son, who was in Vancouver, and I said, "Oh, you know, I just got a call this 11:59 morning, and the fellow who took over that job that we were supposed to have, he's failing 12:03 at it." And I remember my son saying, "Oh, that's good." 12:06 It's sort of what he wanted, too. You know, the apple doesn't fall 12:09 far from the tree. And I said, "No, it seems to me that God's in this thing, and 12:13 he's been pushing me on, you know, that we have to live differently than we do." 12:17 And then right away, my son said, "Well, let's do it then. Let's help him." 12:22 So, he came -- Driving up, I hear the big motorcycle, and it turns he's in some kind of bike 12:28 gang. And, at last, as we're talking, I realize this is a thing from 12:32 God. I said to him, "God loves you, and He's trying to reach you." 12:36 Came to the job, we did the job. You know, we're just doing it for what's left kind of thing. 12:40 And, you know, it turns out that he met God. My son talked to him about God, 12:44 and he said he said down and cried. Realized that God was trying to 12:48 reach him and do something with him and the Holy Spirit. So the Lord uses the stewardship 12:54 thing to teach you about yourself. At the same time, He uses things 12:59 to bless other people, because he does things that are not around self-interest. 13:03 And that's one of the things that he needs to deal with in each one of us. 13:11 >> You know, I find it really interesting how the gentleman that took Burke's job, that 13:15 either outbid him or whatever it was, the guys that Burke should have felt resentment towards, 13:20 you know, his enemy, really, is the guy that he ended up helping, and that really shows 13:25 the likeness of Christ. Through Burke, you know, that's what we want in ourselves, to 13:32 even our enemies, love your enemies. >> Yeah. 13:35 >> It's huge. >> If we're left to ourselves, it would be survival of the 13:38 fittest. I mean, we're in competition all the way. 13:40 >> Right. >> You know, you see someone going down, you just push them 13:43 down. >> That's the natural tendency. >> Yeah, yeah. 13:47 And what makes us the salt of the earth, what makes us different and makes a difference 13:53 is when you listen to God's voice, and you say, "I think I should be kind to this person, 13:58 even though I feel like putting them down, yeah. >> Definitely. 14:02 >> So, Cameron, how has helping someone made a difference in your life? 14:07 >> Well, I had an experience a while back. We were on a tour. 14:13 We were touring with the school, and it was right after we had finished a concert. 14:18 And we were -- I was part of the stage crew, and what we do is we come with the carts, and we were 14:24 cleaning up and getting ready, because the next night, the next morning, we're waking up early 14:29 and going to a different spot, and we're going to perform there, and we need to get things 14:33 out and loaded. So I was with a couple of the guys, just pushing carts in 14:39 through, like, crowds of people, just trying to get in and get out. 14:41 And as I was navigating my way through this crowd, one of my friends, Josh, came up to me and 14:47 he said, "Hey, do you have a second?" And I was in a rush, so I kind 14:51 of had to refocus, and I'd be like, "Yeah, sure, what do you need?" 14:55 And he said, "There's this man who walked in five minutes late because he thought our concert 15:00 started an hour later than it actually did. And so this man had missed our 15:04 entire concert, and Josh further told me, he said, "This guy just really wants to hear us sing." 15:11 So we got a couple guys together, and we're going to sing a few a cappella songs that 15:16 we just had been practicing. And beforehand, we had practiced these songs, and I guess I had 15:23 just kind of become a little bit numb to them and the message. I was more focused on, you know, 15:29 like, the music and what music did for me. But after singing these songs, I 15:34 just saw this -- all of us saw this man's face just light up. And he was just so grateful and 15:40 so thankful. And it made me really reconsider what these songs we're singing 15:46 and why I sang. And I gained a greater blessing in the fact that I remembered, 15:52 this experience reminded me that this music and this little thing that we did for this man, it 15:58 wasn't given to us for us. It was given for us to bless him. 16:01 It's the same thing talking about stewardship. It was something that we are 16:07 given in order to share with others, in order just -- Even if it brightens their day a little 16:11 bit, just making that difference is all we're supposed to do. And all that Christ did for us. 16:16 >> Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes the biggest question for us is, what's in it 16:21 for me? And I guess what's in it for me is that when I bless others, I'm 16:26 blessed myself. But maybe that shouldn't be the biggest question. 16:31 But, still, we are blessed in the very act of blessing someone else, we are blessed ourselves, 16:35 and that's tremendous. So, you were singing a song, and I just want to let our viewers 16:43 listen to a song that you and Ryan put together, and that is "Be Still My Soul." 17:40 >> Test. Test. Testing. 17:54 ♪ Be still my soul ♪ The Lord is on thy side ♪ Bear patiently the cross 18:13 ♪ Of grief or pain ♪ Leave to thy God ♪ To order and provide 18:33 ♪ In every change ♪ He faithful will remain ♪ Be still my soul 18:50 ♪ Thy best ♪ Thy heavenly friend ♪ Through thorny ways 19:03 ♪ Leads to a joyful end [ Guitar solo ] ♪♪ 19:25 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 19:53 ♪♪ ♪ Be still my soul ♪ Thy God doth undertake 20:12 ♪ To guide the future ♪ As He has the past ♪ Thy hope, thy confidence 20:28 ♪ Let nothing shake ♪ All now mysterious ♪ Shall be bright at last 20:43 ♪ Be still my soul ♪ When change and tears are past ♪ 20:53 ♪ All safe and blessed ♪ We shall meet at last 21:11 >> I really like that song. 21:14 You guys are up there in the mountains, and it's quiet, and 21:17 you're in the snow and just out in nature. 21:20 It kind of reminds me of the words of Psalm 46:10, where it 21:24 says, "Be still and know that I am God." 21:27 And what does that have to do with kindness? 21:29 Well, it's not our natural tendency to be kind to others, to put ourselves out for others. 21:34 And we need God to work in our lives. And when we are still, we hit 21:39 the pause button, and we say, "Hey, what can I do to help others, not just thinking about 21:45 me all the time?" And in doing that, we experience a real purpose and a meaning in 21:53 life. We're not just getting, getting, getting for ourselves, but we're 21:56 giving, and by giving, we are truly living and growing. >> Mm-hmm. 22:01 >> Yeah. >> So, Maclaine, have you ever been helped by someone and it's 22:05 made a big difference in your life? >> I think, for me, a time that 22:10 I can remember, I don't know why, it just really stuck out to me, was a little while ago, I 22:14 was having one those days. You know, it just seems things aren't really working, and I was 22:19 just exhausted. I think it was near the end of the week, and I was just ready 22:24 to be done, just have a break. And so just really not a good day, and one of my best friends 22:30 came to me, and I also knew that she wasn't having the best day, either. 22:34 We were both tired. But someone had given her a chocolate bar, and she loves 22:41 chocolate, and I know that. But she came to me, and she said, "Hey, like, I had some of 22:45 this, but there's still, like, half of it left, and I want you to have it, 'cause I know it'll 22:49 make you feel better. So just have it, enjoy it. You'll feel good. 22:52 And I'm gonna go back to work." So I was like, "Oh, thank you." And it was just something very 22:57 small, but, to me, it really touched me, because I knew, for her, like, chocolate was 23:02 something that she loved, yet she was willing to sacrifice it. Like, she knew, you know, I 23:06 wasn't having a good day, and she wanted to make that better for me. 23:09 And so just her doing that, it didn't just make me feel better, 'cause, like, it was chocolate. 23:14 It was -- It really touched my heart, 'cause I was like, "I have someone that, like, will 23:18 think of me like that." Like, "Oh, I could enjoy this, but instead I'm gonna give it to 23:22 her, because, you know, I know she's also having a hard day. And so that just really touched 23:26 me. I think that's really what it is about, it's making a difference. 23:29 It's not necessarily always a big thing. But when you're willing to give 23:33 something that means something to you and make a sacrifice like that, that's not just something 23:38 that you don't care about it and you're like, "Oh, you can have this," or, "I have extra time, 23:41 I'm already here," but it's something where you're actually going out of the way, and you're 23:44 sacrificing your time or something that you have. That's when it really does make 23:48 a difference. And so that's the time for me, that it really -- It helped me, 23:53 and it, and it did make my day better. Small things like that. 23:57 >> Yeah, that's a small thing, but it's a huge thing, and you didn't forget. 24:01 >> No. Yeah. >> Yeah. I have a friend. 24:05 His name is Michael Dauncey. And he runs this program called "Extreme Home Repair," which his 24:11 church has been doing for years. And what they do is they find people in the community whose 24:17 house is run-down but they need help. And it's usually, you know, a 24:23 family in great need. And so he goes to the community, and he gets support and 24:29 construction workers and people to donate things. And then they go in, and they 24:35 take a few weeks, and they ask these people to leave their home, and they repair the 24:39 whole home. And they do that over in Abbotsford, near Vancouver. 24:46 And it's amazing how many homes that they done repairs on in the last few years. 24:53 And I think, "Wow, he just puts himself out, and they don't do it to draw attention to the 24:59 church or draw attention to anyone. They do it as a community 25:02 project to uplift people in the community. And it just makes a difference. 25:08 And I see in that -- That is what Christ asks us to do, to be like Job. 25:14 I look here in the Scriptures, in Job chapter 29, and it says 25:18 in Job 29:15-16 -- It says, "I was eyes to the blind, and 25:21 feet was I to the lame. 25:24 I was a father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not, I searched out." 25:30 So here's Job. I mean, you know the story of Job. 25:33 He got attacked by Satan, and, you know, Satan says, "Everyone on Earth is on my side." 25:40 And God says, "Have you considered my servant Job? Job is on my side." 25:44 And Job represented the character of God. He was kind to others. 25:49 You know, he had a lot. Yes, he had a lot, but he had a lot because God could trust him 25:54 with a lot. And with the great blessings that he received, he continued 25:59 to give and give and give. And, really, that is the secret to being happy, is to give in 26:09 order to live. And when we do that, we are like our Savior, Jesus Christ. 26:16 >> Mm-hmm. >> And so thank you very much for sharing your stories, Ryan 26:21 and Cameron and Maclaine. And so now we're gonna close off. 26:25 Let's just have a word of prayer as we close. Father in Heaven, I thank You, 26:30 Lord, for Your Word. I thank You that we can trust You, that You came to this world 26:36 to give up all of Heaven to sacrifice Yourself on our behalf so that we could live with You 26:43 eternally. And I pray, Father, that Your nature will become a part of our 26:47 nature and that we will become like You and that others will see Your character within us. 26:54 Lord, do that for us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. 26:58 >> Amen. >> So as you close, friends, I just want to remind you of the 27:02 words of Jesus, where he says, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by 27:07 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" >> Friends, thank you for 27:13 remembering that "It Is Written Canada" exists because of the kindness 27:17 of people like you. 27:19 To support this life-changing ministry, please call us now at 27:24 1-888-225-5449. You can also send your 27:31 tax-deductible gifts to the address on the screen 27:34 or you can visit us online at ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. 27:39 >> And we will do everything we can 27:41 to maximize your gift. For example, a gift 27:43 of $5 is enough for one episode to be broadcasted 27:47 to 50 households across Canada. Or a gift of $10 is 27:52 enough to reach five individuals with five heart-changing 27:55 Bible lessons. >> Friends, thank you so much 27:59 for your financial support and your prayers. 28:02 Our number again is 1-888-225-5449. 28:09 Or you can visit us online at ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. 28:16 ♪♪ ♪♪ 28:19 ♪♪ ♪♪ 28:39 ♪♪ ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-05-20