Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202315S
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00:01 >> Welcome to It Is Written
00:02 Canada. 00:03 Thank you for joining us. 00:05 >> A Bible story that I can 00:06 identify with is found in Luke 00:08 10, verses 38 to 42. 00:11 >> It is the story of Mary and 00:13 Martha, two sisters who were 00:15 very close to Jesus and He loved 00:17 spending time with their family 00:19 in Bethany. 00:20 >> Martha is the sister with 00:22 whom I can relate. 00:23 I need things to be organized, 00:25 planned, and perfect. 00:27 [MIKE] It's true. 00:28 You are a doer. 00:29 Just like Martha, you like to 00:31 organize things and get 00:32 everything ready. 00:34 >> And like Martha, I tend to 00:36 become distracted with much 00:38 serving, trying to do everything 00:40 alone and it overwhelms me and 00:43 sometimes makes me feel 00:44 inadequate. 00:46 Mary, on the other hand, is my 00:48 role model because I really do 00:51 admire how she chose to sit at 00:53 Jesus's feet. 00:54 [MIKE] And Jesus spoke 00:56 encouraging words about Mary. 00:59 He said... 01:06 Mary's relationship with the 01:08 Saviour was so pure and so deep. 01:11 >> I have realized that I need 01:13 to first sit at Jesus's feet 01:15 just like Mary. 01:17 His mercy is not linked to a 01:19 measuring stick, and His love is 01:21 not based on my performance. 01:23 When I slow down to sit at His 01:25 feet, I know that I'm not 01:27 serving alone and that He will 01:29 help me. 01:31 Although some days I still 01:33 struggle with being a Martha, 01:35 I'm looking forward to that day 01:37 when I can sit at Jesus's feet 01:40 and have eternity to share my 01:43 heart with Him. 01:46 >> Today, our special guest on 01:47 It Is Written Canada is Paulie 01:49 Rogers and she invites us to 01:51 make ourselves at home in her 01:54 cozy old Victorian farmhouse. 01:56 She reveals how the living room 01:59 is a place where we can take 02:01 time to sit at the feet 02:03 of Jesus. 02:06 ♪♪ 02:46 [gentle guitar music playing] 02:50 >> Welcome to my old Victorian 02:52 farmhouse. 02:53 It had been a bit of a hectic 02:55 day, even for our usually busy 02:57 farm life, and I was looking 02:59 forward to a much needed rest 03:01 for a few minutes before heading 03:02 back out to the barn to do 03:04 chores. 03:06 It was late afternoon when I 03:08 plopped myself down in my 03:10 favourite chair in the 03:11 living room. 03:13 And then the phone rang. 03:16 [sighs] 03:18 It was my neighbour, Glen. 03:22 "Hello. Paulie? 03:23 Your sheep are here in my 03:24 corrals." 03:26 "What? 03:27 Oh, good grief. 03:28 Okay. 03:29 I'll be right up." 03:32 Glen and Sheila live a mile up 03:34 the hill from us and are our 03:36 closest neighbours. 03:38 Glen has owned sheep his whole 03:40 life, and had encouraged me to 03:43 start a small flock of my own. 03:45 I relied heavily on him for help 03:48 when needed, 03:49 but this wasn't the 03:50 kind of thing he needed from me, 03:53 wandering sheep. 03:55 I pushed myself out of my chair 03:58 and got in my truck and headed 03:59 up there. 04:01 As I pulled into their yard, 04:03 sure enough, there were my ewes, 04:06 all 16 of them, mingling amongst 04:09 his 50. 04:11 How in the world was I going to 04:13 get them separated out of there? 04:15 Glen just chuckled at me and 04:17 handed me a pail of oats and 04:19 said, "Call them, they'll come." 04:22 So I shook my pail, calling, 04:25 "Here, girly girls." 04:27 That's how I would call them at 04:28 home at feeding time. 04:30 And to my amazement, every one 04:34 of my 16 ewes came running 04:36 to me. 04:37 Gen's sheep slowly lifted their 04:39 heads in curiosity, but didn't 04:42 bother moving. 04:43 Some lazily went back to their 04:45 grazing, giving me no thought 04:47 at all. 04:48 I couldn't believe it. 04:50 As Glen opened the gate to let 04:53 them out, he told me, "Walk 04:55 home, they'll follow." 04:57 And that's exactly what 04:58 they did. 04:59 I walked gently calling to them 05:01 as they followed me down through 05:03 the bush, across a hay field and 05:05 over the road, all the way home 05:07 and into the safety 05:09 of their own pen. 05:12 You know, it's fearful to have 05:14 your sheep out wandering about 05:15 the countryside. 05:17 We have a lot of wolves and 05:18 coyotes that prey on them, 05:20 especially the lambs. 05:24 Jesus says in John 10:27 that... 05:35 The living room of our spiritual 05:37 house is where we sit at Jesus's 05:39 feet and listen to all He tells 05:42 us through His Word. 05:44 We spend time with Him getting 05:46 to know Him. 05:48 Now, picture with me for just a 05:51 moment what it must have been 05:52 like to live in the time of my 05:55 old Victorian farmhouse. 05:57 It is still a fairly new house. 06:00 The great World War has just 06:02 ended. 06:03 It is 1918. 06:06 A brother, cousin, father has 06:08 just arrived home safe from the 06:10 battlefields. 06:12 There is so much rejoicing and 06:14 celebrating together. 06:16 Then, without warning, another 06:18 battle quickly ensues. 06:20 It is the battle of the deadly 06:22 virus, influenza. 06:25 Approximately 50 million people 06:27 of every age and race lost their 06:30 lives as this horrific disease 06:33 spread like wildfire around 06:35 the world. 06:37 One fifth of the world's 06:38 population was gone in the 06:40 immediate wake after a war that 06:42 claimed only 16 million lives in 06:46 comparison. 06:47 In this room, the parlour, that 06:50 once was a place to welcome 06:51 guests in for a visit over tea 06:54 became known as the 06:56 "Death Room." 06:58 Bodies of the dead were laid out 07:01 here as family, friends, and 07:03 neighbours came to mourn. 07:07 Following such a grievous time 07:09 in history, it is suggested in 07:12 such readings as the Ladies Home 07:14 Journal that this room no longer 07:17 be called the "Death Room," 07:20 but rather let's call it the 07:22 "Living Room." 07:24 When we open our heart's door 07:26 and invite Christ in and spend 07:28 time with Him learning, 07:30 listening, and talking together, 07:33 something begins to happen 07:36 deep within. 07:37 The Holy Spirit moves through 07:40 these words, bringing to life 07:42 its definition to our personal 07:44 lives. 07:45 It becomes meaningful and real. 07:48 We gain insight to spiritual 07:50 things and understanding and how 07:53 to apply it to ourselves. 07:55 The Bible that was once just a 07:57 book of stories to us, it now 08:01 becomes the living Word of God 08:05 to our very souls. 08:07 Where once we were dead, we are 08:09 now alive and it is so exciting! 08:14 And this living room is our 08:17 place of prayer as well. 08:19 Prayer is vital to our 08:21 relationship with Jesus because 08:24 the Devil is a sly one, always 08:27 preying on God's children. 08:29 And if he can lure one of His 08:32 small lambs unaware of any 08:34 danger out of the Shepherd's 08:37 fold into what appears to be a 08:38 greener pasture, will find 08:41 themselves in a pen of another 08:44 flock, a flock that is not 08:47 God's flock. 08:49 How many of us have loved ones, 08:51 children who have wandered off, 08:53 left the fold to go out into the 08:56 world's pasture, much like my 08:59 own wandering sheep who got 09:01 themselves into Glen's corrals. 09:05 It's fearful to have our little 09:07 lambs out wandering about the 09:10 countryside. 09:11 Where we live, we have a lot of 09:14 wolves and coyotes and bears 09:17 that prey on them. 09:19 Death is a real threat and we 09:22 know it. 09:24 But we have a Saviour. 09:26 The Good Shepherd is here, ready 09:28 to go in search of those lost 09:31 little lambs. 09:34 Isaiah 43 says... 09:41 Do I know the voice of Jesus? 09:45 This room that once was a room 09:48 of death is now known as the 09:52 living room. 09:53 Because of Christ's death on the 09:55 cross, we get to experience 09:58 life! 09:59 When He says... 10:15 “Friends.” 10:16 I like that. 10:18 Jesus is our best friend and we 10:21 are going to head into the 10:23 kitchen now and enjoy what He 10:25 has prepared for us there. 10:28 [gentle guitar music playing] 10:31 ♪♪ 10:40 The kitchen is the place of 10:42 character development where 10:44 lessons learned is a saving 10:46 grace. 10:47 Let's take the ingredients of a 10:49 cake for illustration. 10:52 Flour. 10:54 Now, flour is dry, and to eat it 10:56 all on its own, we would choke. 10:59 It reminds me that without 11:01 daily, purposeful time with God 11:04 in the living room, my spiritual 11:06 life can be quite dry. 11:10 Baking powder. 11:12 A cake needs baking powder 11:14 to grow. 11:16 As Christians, we need to grow, 11:18 mature by the Holy Spirit's 11:20 leading. 11:21 If we don't allow this vital 11:22 ingredient, we won't become all 11:25 that we can be by God's 11:26 work in us. 11:30 Salt. 11:34 Salt is important to bring the 11:36 flavours alive in most 11:39 everything that we eat. 11:41 Jesus says we are to be the salt 11:44 of the earth. 11:45 That means to bring a good taste 11:48 of spiritual things to others. 11:50 But too much salt and we can 11:52 ruin everything, too. 11:54 When I was nine years old and 11:56 made a batch of cookies for the 11:57 first time, I grabbed the 12:00 canister of salt instead of 12:02 sugar. 12:03 My cookies for un-eatable. 12:06 It takes balance at just the 12:09 right amounts when we are ready. 12:12 Oil. 12:14 Oil is a slippery, slimy 12:17 ingredient, nasty all on 12:20 its own. 12:21 But without it, our cake would 12:24 be as hard as rock. 12:26 Oil represents the Holy Spirit. 12:29 Like an oil in a lamp, our 12:31 hearts need to be softened so 12:34 that it can shine strong and 12:36 bright with kindness and 12:38 compassion for others. 12:41 Milk. 12:43 Milk is wholesome element. 12:46 God's design for us is to be 12:48 healthy and vibrant, wholesome. 12:53 But in a world of sin, we have a 12:55 lot of health issues and we can 12:57 often find ourselves quite ill, 13:00 in need of God's comforting 13:02 guidance. 13:04 Without this grace, we can 13:06 become like sour milk, 13:08 untasteful for others. 13:12 Eggs. 13:14 Eggs are the binding source 13:16 so we don't fall apart. 13:18 But to get to the useful part of 13:20 the egg, we must first 13:22 crack it open. 13:25 [egg shells crackling] 13:31 We can be broken people with a 13:34 lot of hurt, anger, and 13:36 resentment. 13:38 Cracked. 13:39 But unlike Humpty Dumpty, who 13:41 took a great fall and was not 13:43 able to be put back together... 13:46 ...Jesus is our healer, our 13:49 restorer, and takes all of these 13:51 ingredients of our lives and 13:54 begins to do a work within. 13:58 If we invite Him in and ask Him 14:01 to change me and make me a 14:03 reflection of who He is. 14:08 You know, one of the coolest 14:09 things about God's creation of 14:12 His people, His children, is the 14:14 variety of personalities and 14:17 talents that He gives us. 14:20 Like vanilla or lemon, maple, 14:23 almond, or coconut. 14:32 All the flavours... 14:37 ...of all the different people 14:38 in the world. 14:41 And sugar. 14:45 He has blessed us with a lot of 14:46 sweetness, the good things that 14:49 we can be so thankful for. 14:52 What are you thankful for? 14:54 Family, children, a good job, 14:58 protection. 15:00 Or maybe these are the things 15:01 that you're in need of and 15:04 praying for. 15:06 The point is, God is good and 15:08 when we are living in Him and He 15:10 in us, He takes us and creates 15:13 us into this beautiful thing. 15:18 But on our own, we are really 15:21 aren't too much to look at. 15:24 We are just a gooey mess 15:26 going nowhere. 15:28 [gentle music continues] 15:31 ♪♪ 15:44 But you know what? 15:46 He has a plan for us... 15:49 ...and it's a beautiful plan. 15:53 [dishes clanking] 16:00 What a gooey mess! 16:07 Who wants to eat that? 16:12 Character development 16:14 is not easy. 16:16 It can be quite painful at times 16:19 because, let's face it, it's 16:22 hard to change, to put aside our 16:25 self-will for God's will. 16:28 It takes heat. 16:31 It's our nature to be 16:32 self-centred. 16:34 Let's put this in the oven. 16:43 This is a ceramic cookie jar 16:45 that I made years ago in art 16:46 class when I was in the 16:48 11th grade. 16:49 At first it was just a soft 16:51 clay, fresh out of its mould. 16:54 I had to work at it gently, 16:55 scraping the seams down and 16:57 giving it a soft sanding. 16:59 Once this was done, we needed to 17:01 carve our names into the bottom 17:02 before placing it in the special 17:04 oven to harden it so we would 17:06 know which item belonged to 17:08 which student. 17:10 Once this process was done, we 17:13 got to enjoy the fun part, 17:15 painting it. 17:16 The next step was to dab on this 17:18 thick, ugly, grey goop all over 17:22 it, making it quite ugly. 17:25 But without it this cookie jar 17:27 would not be safe to eat out of. 17:29 It was sealing it from the 17:31 toxins of the clay. 17:34 Now, when I had gotten to this 17:36 step with this cookie jar, the 17:39 grey gunk I had put all over it 17:41 was not dry enough for me to 17:43 turn it over to write my name on 17:45 the bottom. 17:46 Yes, I had forgotten to carve it 17:48 in when the clay was still soft. 17:51 And I had to run off to another 17:53 class so I asked my girlfriend 17:55 if she would put my name on the 17:57 bottom before it went 17:59 into the kiln. 18:01 "Oh yeah, no problem," she said. 18:03 She would do that for me. 18:06 That evening, our teacher placed 18:09 our precious projects into the 18:11 kiln and shut the lid. 18:13 The kiln bakes the pottery at a 18:16 very high temperature that takes 18:18 hours to reach its hottest. 18:20 Then when it is done baking, it 18:23 can take a couple of days for it 18:25 to cool down enough to open the 18:27 lid and take the items out. 18:30 It's exciting to see how it 18:33 turned out because that grey 18:35 goop is a glaze. 18:37 So when my cookie jar came out, 18:40 it is a shiny glassy product. 18:43 And as I turned it over... 18:47 ..to see my name on the bottom, 18:50 my girlfriend, my best friend, 18:53 wrote to this... 18:55 "Paulie and Kenny." 18:58 I was so mad at her. 19:01 I just started dating Kenny. 19:03 How did I know if he was going 19:04 to be in my life for very long? 19:08 We often joke that I had to 19:10 marry Kenny because, well, 19:12 his name is forever on my 19:14 cookie jar. 19:16 God writes our names on the 19:19 palms of His hand... 19:22 ...to forever be His. 19:24 Isaiah 49:16, says... 19:33 Oh! I think our cake is done. 19:40 When we allow God to take us 19:42 through the fiery furnace of 19:44 character development, He will 19:47 take all the elements of who we 19:50 are, unique in every way, 19:53 the good and the bad, and makes 19:56 us beautiful. 19:59 [knocking] 20:00 Oh, look! 20:01 Mike and René are here. 20:03 Come on in, guys! 20:05 [gentle music playing] 20:07 >> Paulie! 20:08 It's so lovely you! 20:09 >> Hello, René! 20:10 I'm so glad that you are here. 20:12 Please come on in. 20:14 Hi, Mike! 20:14 >> Hi, Paulie. 20:15 It's so nice to be in your house 20:16 finally after reading your 20:18 wonderful, inspirational book. 20:20 [PAULIE] Yes, thank you. 20:21 And I am so thrilled 20:22 to have you here. 20:24 Please, sit down. 20:26 [MIKE] We are thrilled 20:26 to be here. 20:29 [RENÉ] Paulie, this is such a 20:30 lovely set. 20:32 >> Oh, thank you. 20:33 >> Surely there must be a story 20:35 behind it. 20:36 Can you share it with us? 20:38 >> I would love to share 20:39 with you. 20:41 My grandmother collected these 20:43 dishes right after World War II, 20:46 when my grandpa and her were 20:48 able to finally set up their 20:50 first home together. 20:53 They did not have very much 20:54 money, so my grandma, she saved 20:58 every little penny that she 21:00 could find, she was a hard 21:01 worker, and... 21:04 ...every month 21:07 she would walk down to the 21:09 Franciscan dinnerware factory 21:12 and she would look through the 21:14 shelves and she would pick out a 21:16 piece or two. 21:17 And over the years, in the 21:19 1950s, she collected a huge set 21:23 of these Desert Rose dishes. 21:26 Now to back up just a little 21:27 bit, she grew up working in her 21:30 Aunt Glenys' hotel, 21:33 setting banquet tables. 21:36 So she knew the etiquette of 21:39 setting the proper table. 21:42 So when she was married, it was 21:45 very important to her to have a 21:47 beautiful Sabbath-set table. 21:50 So this is why it was so 21:52 important for her to be 21:54 collecting these dishes. 21:57 When my mother was growing up 22:00 and setting the table, my 22:01 grandma was-- made sure that she 22:04 knew how to set the table 22:06 proper. 22:07 When my mother got married, she 22:10 inherited all of these dishes, 22:12 they were her wedding present. 22:14 And that's one reason why my 22:16 grandma kept collecting them was 22:17 that someday she would give them 22:19 to her daughter. 22:22 So I grew up setting our Sabbath 22:25 table with the same dishes. 22:29 >> And so, Paulie, how did this 22:31 beautiful set end up in your 22:33 home? 22:34 >> Well, about ten years ago, my 22:36 parents downsized, so I drove 22:39 all the way out to Washington 22:42 and packed up a few of the 22:45 family heirlooms to bring home 22:47 to my home and, of course, the 22:50 dishes were one of them. 22:51 And as my mother and I were 22:53 unpacking her hutch and 22:54 carefully, you know, putting the 22:56 tissue paper all around them, 22:58 she told me the story of how my 23:00 grandma had collected them. 23:02 And part of the story-- I had 23:04 heard the story before, but as 23:05 she was telling me, there was a 23:07 very special element to the 23:08 story that I had never heard 23:10 before. 23:12 My grandma, because she did not 23:15 have very much money and she 23:17 would be saving it and 23:18 everything and she'd walk down 23:19 to that Franciscan factory and 23:23 carefully look over the dishes, 23:26 what she was buying were the 23:28 flawed pieces, the seconds. 23:31 So if you were to look very 23:34 closely to these dishes, you 23:37 will find a flaw somewhere. 23:41 Now, most people would not 23:44 buy flawed pieces. 23:46 It-- they wouldn't mean a thing 23:47 to them. 23:48 But because it was so important 23:50 that my grandma have a special 23:52 table and she did what she 23:54 could, they were very valuable 23:57 to her. 23:58 >> So these have flaws. 24:01 The kitchen is the place, I know 24:02 in your book you say that the 24:04 kitchen is a place of character 24:05 development. 24:06 [PAULIE] Yes. 24:07 >> And so we see our flaws. 24:09 We kind of want to hide them. 24:11 But these are important to you, 24:13 even though they're 70 years old 24:15 and they've got flaws and you 24:16 know about the flaws now. 24:17 [PAULIE] Yes. 24:18 >> Why are they so valuable 24:18 to you? 24:20 >> Because they were so valuable 24:22 to my grandmother and she worked 24:24 so hard to collect them and keep 24:26 them in the family. 24:28 And so, you know, when we 24:29 remodelled this kitchen, I made 24:32 sure that the cupboards that I 24:34 chose had glass doors on the 24:36 fronts so that I could 24:38 display them. 24:39 I have a special place for them 24:41 because, you know, they're kind 24:43 of fragile, I don't use them as 24:44 every day or every weekend like 24:47 my grandmother did and 24:48 my mother did. 24:49 But I love them. 24:51 >> Mmm, I love that. 24:52 There's so many, I guess, 24:54 spiritual connections that 24:56 you're drawing out and you draw 24:58 out throughout the book. 25:00 They're fragile, so they're kind 25:01 of like us, right? 25:02 [PAULIE] Yes. 25:03 [MIKE] You gotta be careful. 25:04 [PAULIE] And imperfect. 25:05 [MIKE] And imperfect, you know, 25:06 and-- 25:07 but you treat them with care 25:09 because of who they belong to. 25:10 Do you think you'd ever 25:11 sell them? 25:12 >> Absolutely not. 25:14 >> Why not? 25:16 >> Because they're priceless. 25:18 [MIKE] They're valuable to you. 25:19 >> They're valuable to me. 25:21 Yep. 25:22 Just like my grandma's china, 25:25 God sees, our beauty... 25:27 ...and we're worth something. 25:28 [gentle piano music playing] 25:31 ♪♪ 25:47 >> Paulie, we've come to the end 25:49 of our time together, but we are 25:51 really looking forward to coming 25:53 here next week again so we can 25:56 go through some other rooms in 25:58 your beautiful Victorian house. 25:59 >> Oh, I can't wait. 26:01 >> But before we let you go, I 26:03 wonder if you could pray for our 26:04 viewers. 26:05 >> Yes, I would love to. 26:08 Dear Heavenly Father, what a 26:11 privilege it is to share my 26:14 house and the lessons that You 26:16 have given to me through these 26:20 renovation experiences and 26:22 experiences through our lives. 26:25 And Father, today we talked 26:27 about my sheep who got lost... 26:31 ...and how the ones who knew my 26:34 voice came home, they followed 26:36 me home. 26:38 Lord, I know that there are 26:40 people who are searching for 26:42 You, who need You, who are 26:46 looking for a better way. 26:50 Give them the courage and the 26:52 strength to open their doors and 26:56 invite You in. 26:59 Where You can give them comfort 27:01 and healing and peace. 27:03 In Jesus' name, I pray, amen. 27:09 >> Friends, Jesus is Your 27:11 Saviour and He longs to have a 27:13 special relationship with you. 27:16 He wants you to spend time with 27:17 Him by experiencing His Word and 27:20 connecting to Him daily so that 27:23 you can really get to know Him. 27:25 [RENÉ] Today our free offer for 27:27 you is Steps to Christ. 27:29 This powerful book will 27:31 highlight what God's Word says 27:33 about the plan of salvation and 27:35 the biblical steps to a saving 27:37 relationship with Jesus. 27:39 >> And when you get your free 27:41 offer, we will also send 27:43 enclosed this special bookmark 27:46 which is designed to go with 27:48 Paulie's book. 27:49 And on it is the text, 27:51 Proverbs 24, verse 3 and 4. 28:06 >> Before you go, we would also 28:07 like to invite you to follow us 28:09 on Instagram and Facebook and 28:12 subscribe to our YouTube channel 28:14 and also listen to our Podcasts. 28:17 And if you go to our website, 28:19 you can see our latest programs. 28:22 >> You, too, can experience the 28:24 fullness of life that is found 28:25 in the words of Jesus 28:27 when He said... 28:36 [inspirational music playing] 28:40 ♪♪ 28:53 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-01-03