Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202302S
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00:05 might be taking drugs or
00:08 something at that point because 00:10 he was getting sick a lot. 00:12 He was always complaining that 00:14 he was tired and he wasn't 00:18 always seemed like himself. 00:20 He was kind of grumpy a lot with 00:24 me so, you know, it was really 00:26 hard as a parent to try to get 00:29 through and communicate 00:30 with him. 00:31 So I was worried for him. 00:34 >> Josh and I, we were very 00:35 close and he would confide in me 00:37 a lot, but there was times when 00:39 he would just shut me out and 00:42 just say, "I need to be alone, 00:43 Mom," and, you know, "Give me 00:47 some time," which I did. 00:48 But in that time, I was like, 00:50 What's going on with him? 00:52 Why isn't he talking to me? 00:54 And again, just had to give it 00:56 to God because there was nothing 00:58 that I could do at that point 01:00 but pray and have faith that God 01:02 would protect him and that He 01:04 would bring him back. 01:07 [theme music playing] 01:09 ♪♪ 01:42 [gentle piano music playing] 01:45 ♪♪ 01:50 >> Welcome to It Is Written 01:51 Canada. 01:51 Thank you for joining us. 01:53 >> We all have significant 01:55 influences that have touched our 01:57 lives in ways that have shaped 01:59 us to become the people 02:01 we are today. 02:02 >> Yes, and without those 02:04 people, we can't imagine what 02:06 our lives would look like today. 02:08 Our special guest is Joshua 02:10 Hernandez, a man whose life is 02:12 influencing many young men here 02:14 in Oshawa, Ontario, at Kingsway 02:16 College. 02:17 And Josh has agreed to share his 02:20 story with us. 02:22 >> Josh, thank you for joining 02:23 us on It Is Written Canada. 02:25 >> Thank you so much 02:26 for having me. 02:27 [MIKE] Josh, you work here at 02:28 Kingsway College and you work 02:30 with young men. 02:31 Tell us about why you do that, 02:33 what you do, and maybe some 02:35 stories about some of the 02:37 experiences you have 02:38 in the dorm. 02:39 [JOSH] Okay. 02:40 Yeah, so Kingsley College is 02:41 just located here in Oshawa, 02:43 Ontario and it's a Christian 02:44 boarding school. 02:46 And what my role is, is as a 02:48 dean, I take care of the 02:49 students. 02:50 And so I make sure they get up 02:52 in the morning, actually go to 02:53 class and do what they need to 02:54 do and then in the evenings, we 02:56 have worships, we do fun 02:58 activities together and we just 03:01 try and keep a positive, 03:03 Jesus-centred life and role 03:04 model for me and the students 03:07 and to be able to connect with 03:08 them and mentor them in whatever 03:10 way is possible. 03:11 Yeah. 03:12 Some fun experiences that I've 03:14 had with some of the students 03:15 would be planning different 03:17 activities. 03:19 We made a card, a thank you card 03:20 for one of the teachers when 03:21 they were having a bad day and 03:23 we were able to give some 03:24 encouragement to another one of 03:26 the teachers who-- whose mother 03:28 or father had passed away and 03:31 they were able to to help them 03:33 in that way. 03:36 >> When Josh was a little boy, 03:38 he said to me one day, he said, 03:41 "I want to be--" 03:43 He was very sad that he found 03:45 out that some children didn't 03:46 have any fathers. 03:48 And he said, "I would like to 03:50 be, when I grow up, a father for 03:52 all those boys and girls that 03:54 don't have any parents." 03:57 And that was very touching to me 03:59 that he said that. 04:01 And, you know, it's kind of 04:03 funny how life is that now he's 04:05 in this position where he is, 04:08 you know, a father figure in a 04:09 way to these boys when they're 04:14 facing some major challenges 04:17 sometimes in their lives. 04:19 And it's exciting that he has-- 04:24 that God has brought him to this 04:25 place where he is able to share 04:29 his faith with these boys and to 04:32 help them, mentor them on to 04:35 do great things for God. 04:39 >> So Josh, take us back to the 04:41 people who have influenced 04:43 your life. 04:44 >> Yeah, definitely my 04:45 grandfather was one of the 04:47 biggest role models or 04:48 influences in my life. 04:50 He was always positive, he was 04:52 always encouraging. 04:53 He just helped me to see what 04:55 Jesus was like. 04:57 And as a pastor, it was his job 05:00 to take care of the family but 05:01 also take care of the church. 05:03 And so he would often take me on 05:04 different trips, different 05:06 meetings, I would get to see 05:08 what his life was like and how 05:10 he connected with different 05:11 people and also would always 05:13 just take care of me, rock me to 05:15 sleep, sing songs to me and he 05:17 was just really a loving and 05:19 positive person in my life. 05:21 Some other people that 05:22 influenced me would be Ashley 05:24 Brown, who currently is the Camp 05:26 Frenda cook. 05:27 Her and I had a great 05:28 relationship when I worked at 05:29 the camp, which is located in 05:31 the Muskokas, and also the 05:33 previous cook before that, whose 05:35 name was Susan James and we had 05:37 a great relationship. 05:38 She was definitely like a 05:39 grandmother figure to me, very 05:41 encouraging, very loving, very 05:43 positive, and just helped to 05:44 guide me when I was coming back 05:46 to the faith and to be just a 05:49 positive role model in general. 05:51 Ashley especially was very 05:52 encouraging towards me, 05:53 especially coming back 05:55 into the faith. 05:56 She was like a big sister to me 05:57 and was very inspiring and 05:59 encouraging, helping me to just 06:01 process some thoughts and 06:03 emotions and also just being 06:04 there for advice and good 06:05 counsel. 06:06 We worked really well together. 06:08 She has an amazing family and 06:09 two beautiful kids and I just 06:11 had great memories and a really 06:12 positive experience with her. 06:15 >> Josh, your grandfather was a 06:17 huge spiritual influence in 06:19 your life. 06:20 Tell us a little bit about 06:20 his life. 06:21 What was that like? 06:22 >> Yeah, so he was one of 12 06:24 brothers and sisters and he grew 06:25 up in Sri Lanka, which was 06:27 formerly known as Ceylon. 06:29 He had a hard upbringing, 06:30 actually. 06:31 His father was an alcoholic and 06:34 his mother was a stay-at-home 06:35 mom. 06:36 And so he eventually had to 06:38 stand up to his dad and-- to put 06:40 the abuse aside. 06:42 And then he actually ended up 06:44 leaving Sri Lanka to go to 06:46 Australia for schooling and 06:48 joined the Adventist Church and 06:50 became a pastor where he then 06:52 moved to Oshawa, Ontario and 06:54 actually worked at Kingsway 06:55 College. 06:56 >> So he had a rich past. 07:00 [JOSH] Yes. 07:00 >> Was he a missionary at 07:01 some stage? 07:02 >> He did some colporting I 07:04 believe, yeah, where he would go 07:05 door to door and tell people 07:06 about Jesus and also just work 07:08 hard to share the gospel. 07:11 He also learned how to bake when 07:12 he was in Australia and he would 07:14 also make these famous Chelsea 07:15 buns for our family, which is 07:17 one of my mother's favourite 07:18 things. 07:19 [MIKE] And you're quite the cook 07:19 yourself. 07:20 >> I try, I try, yeah. 07:22 [MIKE] You do a great job. 07:23 You must have got it from your 07:24 grandfather. 07:24 [JOSH] I must have got it from 07:25 my grandfather, yeah. 07:26 [RENÉ] And now you work at 07:27 Kingsway College, too, just like 07:28 your grandfather did. 07:29 >> Yes, exactly. 07:30 [RENÉ] Wow! 07:32 >> I think, starting off with my 07:37 father-in-law, Ralph, he was a 07:39 good cook and he watched and 07:43 learned some things from my 07:44 father-in-law. 07:46 And also myself, I would help 07:50 Sandra in the kitchen, or 07:52 sometimes if she was working 07:53 late, I'd be the one cooking the 07:55 meal and making them 07:59 what they liked. 08:01 And my father owned my-- was a 08:05 chef as well. 08:06 He owned a pizza Italian 08:09 restaurant in New York City. 08:11 So he had good influence from 08:14 all the men as far as knowing 08:17 how to cook. 08:19 Well, we always joked that 08:21 Joshua had two sets, two 08:25 fridges, two sets of parents, 08:28 two houses, because my 08:31 father-in-law would, Ralph would 08:33 pick him up from school and 08:36 would have food ready for him. 08:38 And so they were very-- he was 08:40 very blessed that way, so were 08:42 the other boys. 08:43 And they had a good upbringing 08:47 in a good Christian home. 08:49 My father was-- he was just, 08:53 had a very steadfast faith 08:55 in God and he was very positive 08:58 influence on my life and then in 09:02 turn on my children's life. 09:04 I have three boys, Nathan and 09:08 Jason and Joshua is the third 09:11 boy and there's a little bit 09:12 of a gap. 09:13 So Joshua got a little bit 09:17 teased by his older brothers, 09:18 and as a mom I was a little 09:21 protective of the youngest and 09:23 he became a little bit of a 09:25 mama's boy. 09:27 And-- but it's a good thing 09:30 because we were close and we 09:32 remain close as adults, too. 09:36 >> Josh, growing up, what was 09:38 your relationship with God and 09:40 the church like? 09:41 >> Growing up, my relationship 09:42 with God was really stable. 09:45 Growing up in a Christian home, 09:46 God was just part of the 09:47 picture. 09:48 It's what we did every week. 09:50 We worshipped together in 09:51 church, family worships. 09:53 I had a really good picture of 09:55 God, I would say, growing up and 09:57 especially seeing my grandfather 09:59 and his ministry really helped 10:01 me to have a good picture of who 10:03 God was in my life and with me 10:06 constantly. 10:07 Growing up we were a family of 10:09 three boys and so I was the 10:11 youngest. 10:12 Both my brothers are eight and 10:13 nine years older than me. 10:15 We had lots of fun growing up. 10:17 My parents and grandparents were 10:19 both very loving and we often 10:21 spent lots of time doing family 10:23 trips, going to visit family in 10:24 California and just spending 10:27 time as a family was essential 10:29 growing up to us. 10:30 So we bonded very closely as a 10:33 family and I enjoyed my church 10:35 and God, having Him in my life, 10:38 and it was just a great 10:39 experience for me. 10:40 >> So, Josh, it sounds like your 10:42 childhood years were really 10:44 good. 10:45 What about your teenage years? 10:47 [JOSH] Teenage years were a 10:48 little bit of a struggle. 10:49 It was hard to find my identity 10:52 and to really build my 10:53 relationship with God 10:54 at that point. 10:56 Different challenges presented 10:57 themselves trying to fit in, be 11:00 my own person, discover my own 11:02 identity. 11:03 These are things that I 11:04 struggled with and so looking 11:06 forward, trying to find out what 11:07 my pathway was or my future and 11:10 finding God in that was 11:11 definitely challenging for me. 11:13 >> Of course, your grandfather 11:15 was always a stable person in 11:17 your life and keeping you solid 11:18 through whatever those 11:20 challenges where, there are a 11:21 lot of different things 11:22 happening at once at that time. 11:24 How did you deal with those 11:25 challenges? 11:26 >> Yeah, my grandfather was 11:27 diagnosed with cancer in my high 11:30 school years and that really 11:31 shook me. 11:32 It shook my faith and it shook 11:35 just my identity. 11:37 I really had a hard time 11:38 figuring out who I was and 11:40 starting to question whether I 11:41 wanted God in my life, if I 11:43 wanted to still be a Christian, 11:45 and really having an anger 11:46 towards God, seeing my 11:48 grandfather, who served as a 11:49 person of faith and ministry, 11:51 going through such struggling 11:52 and hard times. 11:53 [MIKE] Mmm. 11:54 And what was it like when he 11:55 passed away? 11:57 >> It was devastating for me. 11:59 Going through those raw 12:00 emotions, it really was hard for 12:02 me to process. 12:05 I had always wanted for him to 12:07 see-- his dying wish was to see 12:09 me graduate from high school and 12:11 I felt that God had taken him 12:12 just too soon and I couldn't 12:14 reconcile those feelings and 12:16 those emotions with what I was 12:18 going through. 12:19 Unfortunately, that meant I 12:20 turned to hookup culture, drugs 12:23 and alcohol, and other outlets 12:25 for me to find ways to deal with 12:27 the emotion and deal with the 12:28 stress. 12:29 >> Was there ever a time, Josh, 12:31 where you completely rejected 12:33 God, completely rejected the 12:34 church? 12:36 >> Yeah, I was going through 12:37 some family struggles and some 12:38 internal problems at that time. 12:40 There was a lot of moving parts. 12:42 I didn't fully reject God, but I 12:45 definitely left the church 12:46 during that time. 12:48 Just seeing everything and 12:49 dealing with everything was a 12:50 bit too much for me, and I began 12:52 to pull away slowly as my 12:53 parents saw I would stop 12:55 attending church as much as I 12:56 was used to and just not as 12:58 involved in some of the 12:59 programming and activities that 13:00 the Church was holding and my 13:02 relationship with God started to 13:04 dwindle. 13:06 >> Josh and myself are very much 13:08 alike and I would try to give 13:11 him advice and he would just 13:15 tell me, "Yes, Dad, I know," and 13:17 I knew he wasn't listening. 13:19 And so we had some exchange of 13:23 words many times, and it was a 13:26 frustrating experience for me as 13:28 a parent. 13:30 And I just had to walk away 13:33 because I was so upset and I 13:36 would try and get my wife to 13:40 take over. 13:41 Maybe she could make more sense 13:42 than I can because she had more 13:44 patience. 13:46 So it was a trying experience 13:49 for sure. 13:51 I was kind of worried that he 13:55 might be taking drugs or 13:59 something at that point because 14:01 he was getting sick a lot. 14:03 He was always complaining that 14:05 he was tired and he wasn't 14:09 always seemed like himself. 14:11 He was kind of grumpy a lot with 14:14 me so, you know, it was really 14:17 hard as a parent to try to get 14:20 through and communicate 14:21 with him. 14:22 So I was worried for him. 14:25 >> Josh and I, we were very 14:26 close and he would confide in me 14:28 a lot, but there was times when 14:30 he would just shut me out and 14:32 just say, "I need to be alone, 14:34 Mom," and, you know, "Give me 14:37 some time," which I did. 14:39 But in that time, I was like, 14:41 What's going on with him? 14:42 Why isn't he talking to me? 14:45 And again, just had to give it 14:47 to God because there was nothing 14:48 that I could do at that point 14:50 but pray and have faith that God 14:53 would protect him and that He 14:55 would bring him back. 14:57 [MIKE] What did that look like 14:58 for you? 14:59 >> Um, on my knees and, you 15:03 know, reading the Bible passages 15:05 for the promises and just... 15:09 >> Having faith. 15:10 >> Yeah. 15:11 You know, remembering what my 15:13 dad had taught us, and my mom, 15:15 too, they had been through some 15:18 trying times with my siblings 15:20 as well. 15:20 So I knew that God was faithful 15:24 and that He would, He would come 15:27 through for us, I knew that. 15:29 So there was a lot of tears and, 15:31 So there was a lot of tears and, 15:32 you know, I had to spend a lot 15:34 of time praying and reading the 15:37 Bible and, you know, just 15:39 talking to other friends and 15:41 family that had been through 15:42 some similar experiences. 15:45 But I didn't have my dad at that 15:46 point, and he was my confidant. 15:49 So that was very-- 15:51 a difficult time for sure. 15:54 >> So Josh, looking forward, you 15:58 are now actively involved as an 16:00 elder in your church, you're 16:02 working at Kingsway College with 16:04 young people and have an amazing 16:06 influence with them. 16:08 What happened? 16:09 How did you get from where you 16:11 were to where you are now, 16:14 presently? 16:16 >> You know, it was a long 16:17 journey. 16:18 Getting into hookup culture and 16:20 going to clubs and partying 16:22 every weekend became kind of the 16:24 norm for me. 16:25 Pulling out with even some of 16:26 the friends that I used to hang 16:28 out with church, we ended up all 16:30 leaving together. 16:31 And it was very hard for me to 16:33 come back. 16:34 I actually reached a breaking 16:35 point with that group and with 16:37 my own life where I was laying 16:39 in my bed one night and I was 16:41 just staring at a bottle of 16:42 pills, whether-- thinking about 16:44 whether to continue living 16:46 or not. 16:48 And I felt like there was an 16:49 internal voice that spoke to me 16:51 that said, "Am I really gonna 16:53 let this moment and this 16:56 situation define my life and my 16:58 future forever? 17:00 And I respond to that question 17:01 with "No." 17:03 And so moving forward, I had to 17:04 rediscover who I was, my 17:06 identity, what I believed in, 17:09 my faith. 17:09 And it took me on this journey 17:11 when I had so many supportive 17:12 people like my friends in 17:13 college that I had met that 17:15 helped me on this journey, to 17:17 working at Frenda, where I just 17:19 came back to the faith and I had 17:21 such supportive people that I 17:23 mentioned earlier that just 17:24 really nurtured and helped my 17:26 faith to grow and to recover. 17:29 Along that process, you know, 17:31 there was dietary changes, there 17:32 were spiritual changes that 17:33 happened with me. 17:35 And it just really helped me to 17:36 understand who God was as a 17:38 loving Father who wanted me to 17:40 come back and to take 17:42 care of me. 17:43 >> And then you met your sweet 17:44 wife, Alicia. 17:45 Tell us about her. 17:47 >> Yes, she's a big inspiration 17:49 of mine. 17:50 Alicia is so patient, she's so 17:52 stable, not like me, kind and 17:55 loving, and she really helped to 17:58 get my Christian experience on a 17:59 really level playing field and 18:01 just to show me what true love 18:04 looks like. 18:05 Always being there for me, 18:07 always caring about me, always 18:09 just looking out for me and 18:11 being such a supportive 18:12 girlfriend and now wife and 18:14 soon-to-be mother. 18:15 I'm so proud of her and she's an 18:17 integral part of my Christian 18:19 experience of me getting 18:20 to know God. 18:24 [SANDY] So Alicia, which is 18:27 Josh's wife now, has been a very 18:30 positive influence in his life. 18:33 When Josh turned 25, we were up 18:36 at the Camp Frenda and you know 18:40 how you blow out the candles and 18:41 make a wish, so he said then 18:44 that he would like to find a 18:48 good Christian wife. 18:49 And so we were praying that he 18:51 would meet somebody and God 18:53 answered our prayers there. 18:56 And she came for a weekend and 18:59 they made a connection. 19:01 And I could tell from the very 19:04 first time I met Alicia that she 19:06 also had a strong connection 19:08 with God and that that was an 19:12 answer to prayer, that time. 19:14 >> Very positive experience 19:16 meeting her, yeah, and 19:17 her family. 19:19 So it was wonderful. 19:23 >> Your walk with God is one 19:26 that's also influencing others. 19:30 How do you put that together 19:31 with your own struggle? 19:32 Like every day, of course, 19:34 you're getting closer to Jesus. 19:36 What does that look like in the 19:37 dorm for you? 19:38 >> In the dorm, it just means 19:39 taking time away from what I 19:42 wanna do and making sure that I 19:43 prioritize time for the 19:45 students. 19:46 The guys, they're constantly 19:47 going through different 19:48 struggles and things on a day to 19:49 day basis that most people don't 19:51 see or are not aware of. 19:53 And so for me, just carving that 19:55 time out of my day to take 19:57 five minutes and listen to what 19:59 they're going through, to ask 20:00 them questions, to give them 20:01 some life advice, to not make 20:03 the same mistakes that I did. 20:05 Those are the kinds of things 20:06 that really help my relationship 20:08 with God grow and it actually 20:09 teaches me things about myself 20:12 and about my character, just by 20:14 spending time with them and 20:15 seeing what they're going 20:16 through. 20:16 >> Do you feel like the journey 20:18 that you went on has made you 20:20 stronger? 20:21 >> Definitely. 20:22 It's definitely helped me to 20:23 have a better understanding of 20:26 just the human experience and 20:28 especially the teenage years 20:29 when things are uncertain, 20:31 people are not sure what they 20:33 are doing, where they're going, 20:34 what they believe. 20:36 And just to be that positive 20:38 Christian support for them, when 20:40 I didn't have that, it makes a 20:42 huge difference in impacting 20:44 their life and it helps them to 20:45 see that someone really cares 20:47 about them, not just me, but God 20:49 also cares about them and 20:50 loves them. 20:51 >> What kind of advice you give 20:52 to young people? 20:54 >> I tell them to take their 20:55 time, to slow down, to really 20:56 think things through. 20:58 One of the best pieces of advice 20:59 that I received when I was in 21:01 college was... 21:05 Because when you react, things 21:07 are just blown way out of 21:08 proportion and things don't go 21:10 the way they should. 21:11 But if you take a pause, you 21:13 take time to reflect, it will 21:15 help you later on to make a 21:17 correct decision and for 21:18 everything to go smoothly the 21:20 way it should. 21:21 >> And what about parents? 21:22 Parents who may have seen, like 21:25 your parents did, their children 21:28 leave the faith or maybe 21:29 even grandparents see their 21:30 grandchildren leave the faith? 21:32 What would you say to them? 21:34 >> Pray always, make sure that 21:35 you're super loving, supportive 21:38 and kind with them. 21:39 It's a process and sometimes it 21:41 takes time for them to realize 21:44 who is actually loving and 21:46 caring and supportive in their 21:47 life and who's a fake. 21:48 So as long as you can be there 21:51 to support them and encourage 21:52 them and nurture them without 21:54 being judgmental, it will do 21:56 wonders for their experience and 21:58 their-- your character will 22:00 shine through and your children 22:01 will see that they are loved and 22:04 cared for by their parents 22:05 and people that love them. 22:06 [MIKE] Did you ever feel like 22:07 your parents were saying, hey... 22:09 you know, putting down a hard 22:11 line and saying, "Josh, you need 22:13 to get your life together?" 22:14 [JOSH] Yeah, actually, several 22:15 times both my parents would give 22:18 me some side advice that was, 22:20 you know, encouraging, but 22:22 also firm. 22:23 And they were really desperate 22:25 to get me back to church because 22:26 they knew that if I left the 22:27 church completely or if I left 22:29 church for an extended period of 22:30 time, it would not be good for 22:32 me long term. 22:33 And so they would constantly ask 22:35 and remind, but really just 22:37 their love and their support was 22:39 what made a huge difference. 22:40 Not being as judgmental as I had 22:42 expected and being inquisitive 22:44 of what I was going through and 22:46 my experiences really helped to 22:48 bring me back. 22:49 And I'm sure the prayers that 22:50 they prayed also helped 22:52 immensely in God reaching out to 22:54 me and helping me to get back to 22:55 faith and back to Him. 22:57 [somber music playing] 23:01 ♪♪ 23:08 [ERIC] Well, first of all, I'd 23:09 like to give the honour and 23:12 glory to God for answering our 23:15 prayers. 23:17 It was tough to see the things 23:21 that were happening and what he 23:22 was going through. 23:24 But the Lord saw us through. 23:27 He answered our prayers. 23:28 So I just want to tell other 23:31 parents out there, 23:32 there is hope. 23:34 And... 23:37 ...thinking back, my parents 23:39 always prayed for me and my 23:41 experience wasn't always 23:44 perfect. 23:45 I had slipped away myself 23:48 many times, but I always hung 23:50 in there. 23:52 And it's the prayers of the 23:53 parents... 23:55 ...that make the difference. 24:01 >> Josh, I really like the 24:02 statement that you made to 24:04 respond and not react. 24:07 And I think that's what us as 24:08 parents need to do, too. 24:10 We need to respond in love and 24:13 not to react with the guilt and 24:16 the shame and the rules and "you 24:19 should have, you should have," 24:20 but just... 24:21 >> Which is all driven by fear, 24:22 right? 24:23 >> That's correct, yeah. 24:24 But we don't need to have fear 24:27 because perfect love casts out 24:29 all fear. 24:29 We just have to have faith that 24:32 God is gonna save our children 24:33 and that He-- because He loves 24:35 them more than what we do. 24:36 [JOSH] Yes, absolutely. 24:38 RENÉ] So... Mm-hm. 24:39 [MIKE] So Josh, we've come to 24:40 end of our time together, but 24:41 I'd like to ask you to pray. 24:43 Pray for parents, grandparents 24:46 who are perhaps worried, that 24:49 they can hold on to the promises 24:51 of God, to claim promises like 24:54 Isaiah 49:25 that "I will save 24:57 your children says the Lord." 24:58 And also pray for those who may 25:01 have left the faith, you know, 25:03 children, grandchildren who have 25:05 drifted away, that they will 25:06 hear the voice of God, that 25:08 they will come back, they'll be 25:09 drawn back to His love. 25:10 Maybe even those-- pray for 25:12 those who have never heard the 25:14 voice of God, don't know Him at 25:16 all, have never gone to church, 25:18 that they can hear Him now, 25:21 calling them and drawing them 25:23 with His love and showing them a 25:25 better way to live. 25:27 [JOSH] Absolutely. 25:28 Let's pray. 25:28 [MIKE] Let's pray. 25:30 [JOSH] Dear Heavenly Father, we 25:31 just wanna thank You so much for 25:32 being with us today. 25:34 We thank You for the opportunity 25:36 to just share a little bit about 25:38 how You've worked in my life, 25:40 putting me in Your hands of 25:41 grace. 25:42 And I just wanna pray for all 25:44 the parents and grandparents who 25:46 might be fearful right now, 25:47 might be afraid of losing their 25:49 children, losing them to drugs, 25:51 alcohol, pornography, any of the 25:54 things that are just relevant in 25:56 this world to distract them from 25:58 the loving relationship that You 26:00 want them to have, to experience 26:02 life to its fullest. 26:04 And I just pray that You would 26:05 be with the parents, to claim 26:07 the promises of the Bible. 26:08 As Pastor Mike shared, You will 26:10 save those children, Lord, if 26:12 the people and the parents and 26:13 the family pray. 26:15 And I also just wanna pray, God, 26:16 for those who have not had a 26:18 faith-based experience, who 26:19 don't know You, that their 26:21 hearts may be open to You, that 26:23 they may hear Your voice, and 26:24 especially those who have left 26:26 that, God, You will bring them 26:28 back to the fold in such a 26:29 mighty and powerful way. 26:31 Thank You so much for this time 26:33 and bless everyone watching. 26:34 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 26:36 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 26:38 >> Josh, thank you so much for 26:39 joining us on It Is Written 26:41 Canada today and sharing your 26:43 testimony. 26:44 >> And thank you so much for 26:45 having me. 26:45 I feel so blessed. 26:49 >> Friends, whenever life 26:50 doesn't make sense or I'm 26:51 feeling down and discouraged, I 26:53 pick up this little book, Help 26:55 in Daily Living, and we would 26:56 like to send this book to you 26:58 free of charge. 26:59 >> If you're feeling like the 27:01 wheels are falling off and your 27:02 life is becoming unglued, or if 27:05 your wheels are simply spinning 27:07 and you're not getting anywhere, 27:09 you will find solutions in this 27:11 little book, Help in Daily 27:13 Living. 27:16 Before you go, we would like to 27:18 thank all of you who have 27:20 supported the ministry of It Is 27:21 Written Canada, with your 27:23 prayers and financial 27:25 contributions. 27:26 Without your support, this 27:28 television ministry could not 27:30 have reached so many people for 27:33 so many decades. 27:34 >> Yes, thank you. 27:35 And we would also like to invite 27:37 you to follow us on Instagram 27:38 and Facebook and subscribe to 27:40 our YouTube channel and also 27:41 listen to our podcasts. 27:43 And if you go to our website, 27:45 you can see our latest programs. 27:48 >> You, too, can experience the 27:50 fullness of life found in the 27:51 words of Jesus when He said, 27:54 "It is written, 'Man shall not 27:56 live by bread alone, but by 27:59 every word that proceeds out of 28:01 the mouth of God.'" 28:03 ♪♪ 28:22 >>And he's actually been-- 28:25 gotten us back on track. 28:26 I meant to say that he has 28:30 really been an influence for us 28:33 to get more closer to God. 28:38 Josh says, "Guys, you gotta 28:39 wake up. 28:41 The Lord's coming soon, so we 28:42 have to get ready." 28:44 So he was quite a positive 28:46 influence on our lives, too. 28:49 So we're thankful for that. |
Revised 2023-10-04