Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202321S
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00:01 Canada.
00:02 Thank you for joining us. 00:04 The Arab people have an 00:06 expression, "All sunshine makes 00:09 a desert." 00:11 >> I tend to think sunny days 00:13 are the only perfect days, the 00:15 days of peace, plenty and 00:17 pleasure. 00:18 But what if life was always 00:20 sunny? 00:21 Would that really be a 00:22 good thing? 00:24 >> Or put another way, storm 00:27 clouds bring rain, which leads 00:30 to new life and growth. 00:33 >> So on rainy days, I'm 00:35 reminded to be thankful because 00:37 without the showers, my world 00:39 would be terribly dry, like the 00:41 Sahara Desert. 00:43 [MIKE] Yet there are many people 00:44 whose hearts have known so 00:45 little real sorrow. 00:47 They have been more privileged 00:50 and have had to feel so little 00:52 distress, worrying about others, 00:55 that they cannot understand 00:56 people who are struggling. 00:59 >> They are like an 01:00 unenlightened child who is not 01:02 capable of grasping the 01:04 difficulties of life. 01:05 [MIKE] To a child, his mother 01:07 and father's fears probably 01:09 appear needless, but when he 01:12 grows up and years of experience 01:14 have been added to his life, 01:16 when he comes face to face with 01:18 life's challenges, he will look 01:20 back upon his parent's life and 01:22 understand the problems that 01:24 were once so incomprehensible. 01:28 >> Bitter experience always 01:30 gives us deeper insight, wisdom, 01:32 understanding, and sympathy for 01:35 those who are struggling. 01:36 >> The psalmist encourages us 01:38 with these reassuring words... 01:47 [RENÉ] Our special guest on It 01:49 Is Written Canada today is Paul 01:51 Croft, whose life was struck by 01:54 a storm of afflictions and 01:56 countless rainy days. 01:57 In a moment, Paul will share 02:00 his story. 02:04 [theme music playing] 02:07 ♪♪ 02:40 [truck engine noise] 02:44 >> Welcome to It Is Written 02:46 Canada. 02:46 Thank you for joining us. 02:47 In his own words, Paul Croft 02:50 felt like a lost sheep. 02:53 >> Paul confessed that he lived 02:55 his life the way he wanted to, 02:58 not caring about anyone 03:00 or anything. 03:02 But this eventually cost him his 03:04 freedom and he ended up in jail. 03:07 >> Today, our special guest, 03:09 Paul Croft, is here to share 03:10 with us how God had a divine 03:14 appointment with him in jail and 03:16 his life was about to change in 03:18 ways that he could never have 03:20 imagined. 03:22 >> Paul, welcome to It Is 03:24 Written Canada. 03:25 >> Thank you for having me. 03:27 [MIKE] Paul, let's go back to 03:29 your beginnings. 03:30 Tell us about where you were 03:31 born, your family, and how you 03:33 got to where you are today. 03:34 >> So I was born in Manchester, 03:35 England. 03:37 We moved to Canada in 1972 03:40 at the ripe old age of 03:42 eight years old. 03:43 I had one brother lives out in 03:45 Vancouver Island. 03:46 I'm married. 03:47 We have three adult boys and we 03:51 have two grandchildren, a boy 03:53 and-- a grandson and a 03:55 granddaughter. 03:56 >> Paul, what was your walk with 03:58 God like as you were growing up? 04:01 >> So up until about 2014, I was 04:03 a very lost sheep. 04:05 I lived my life my own way, 04:07 doing whatever I wanted to do, 04:09 not really having any real 04:11 connection with God. 04:12 I dabbled in faith a little bit, 04:15 but never really got serious 04:17 about it so I wasn't really 04:19 following God at all. 04:21 >> How did that affect you? 04:23 >> Well, it got me into trouble 04:27 and that trouble, like you 04:29 said, eventually cost me my 04:30 freedom and ended up spending 04:33 some time in jail. 04:34 >> Paul, life really changed for 04:36 you when you went into jail, God 04:38 had a divine appointment 04:39 with you. 04:40 How did He get your attention? 04:42 >> So-- and I'm not a bad 04:43 person, just did-- made some bad 04:45 choices in life and got in with 04:48 a little bit of bad people. 04:50 So it can happen to anyone, 04:53 we just have to be careful. 04:55 But when I was in jail, I was-- 04:58 went to the jail library and I 05:00 found some books that had 05:02 nothing written on the spine. 05:05 And so I pulled one out and it 05:06 was this Bible, and I could not 05:09 put it back. 05:10 Something made me hold on to it 05:12 and take it back to my 05:13 jail cell. 05:14 And I decided to open it up 05:17 and read it. 05:18 It's written in very easy to 05:20 understand English, so it was 05:21 very easy to understand. 05:24 And the more I read into it, the 05:27 more I wanted to read into it. 05:30 So I found myself spending less 05:33 time out with the people, the 05:36 other inmates, and more time in 05:38 my jail cell just reading the 05:40 Bible, because I just wanted to 05:42 spend more time with it. 05:44 >> Can I take a look at 05:45 that book? 05:45 [PAUL] Sure. 05:46 [MIKE] Because it's really 05:47 interesting. 05:47 So there was nothing on 05:48 the spine... 05:49 [PAUL] No. 05:49 [MIKE] ...but it says, "The Keys 05:50 to Freedom," [chuckles] 05:52 and you had lost your freedom. 05:53 >> Yes. 05:54 [MIKE] So someone put that there 05:56 for you. 05:57 [PAUL] Absolutely. 05:58 [MIKE] And you found it, 06:00 something that obviously changed 06:01 your life. 06:02 [PAUL] Absolutely. 06:03 So it changed my life in so many 06:06 ways because, like I said, the 06:08 more I read it, the more I 06:10 wanted to read it. 06:11 And I actually would spend at 06:15 least three times a day 06:17 with the Bible. 06:19 First thing in the morning and 06:20 then we had two little lockdowns 06:22 for an hour each time and both 06:24 of those lockdowns I would spend 06:26 reading the Bible and then 06:27 sometimes before I went to bed 06:29 at night. 06:30 >> So God really got your 06:31 attention. 06:31 >> Absolutely. 06:32 So by the time I was halfway 06:33 through my sentence, I'd read 06:35 through the Bible one time and I 06:37 was starting to read it for a 06:38 second time. 06:40 One of the things that I'd 06:40 noticed was my trucker's mouth 06:42 was gone. 06:42 I used to use a lot of foul 06:44 language and I had stopped using 06:45 foul language. 06:47 My fellow inmates had noticed a 06:48 difference without me even 06:50 telling them anything, that I'd 06:51 changed. 06:52 To begin with, I was smiling 06:53 in jail. 06:54 And one of the things, you do 06:55 not smile in jail, you can't be 06:56 happy in jail. 06:57 And so I was smiling in jail and 06:59 people were wondering what had 07:01 happened, why I was so happy. 07:03 >> Wow. 07:04 God really got hold of you, 07:06 Paul. 07:07 >> Absolutely. 07:08 [RENÉ] So can you tell us what 07:10 happened on your 50th birthday? 07:14 >> So on my 50th birthday, not 07:16 the kind of birthday that you 07:17 want to spend, any birthday in 07:18 jail is sad, but a milestone 07:20 birthday is a very sad day. 07:22 So it was looking to be the 07:24 worst day of my life. 07:26 But I was in the middle of 07:27 writing a letter to my wife, 07:29 which I wrote many letters. 07:30 I think we were I think it was 07:32 45 letters that I wrote during 07:33 the seven-month sentence. 07:35 So I was in the middle of 07:36 writing a letter to my wife, and 07:38 in the letter to my wife, I told 07:40 her that I was committing my 07:42 life to Jesus Christ before I 07:44 even told myself. 07:47 So God had me write the words in 07:50 that letter, and I immediately 07:52 broke down in tears because it 07:55 was really, really significant. 07:58 >> So God was writing your story 08:00 through the pen. 08:01 Sometimes the pen can write what 08:04 the mouth, can't speak, or just 08:05 get those thoughts on paper. 08:08 [PAUL] Absolutely. 08:08 I have no explanation to it to 08:10 this day and we kept 08:11 that letter. 08:12 We kept all the letters, but 08:13 that letter is a very, very 08:14 special one for us. 08:16 >> Paul, what did God teach you 08:19 about true love while you were 08:21 in jail? 08:23 >> I always had a problem 08:24 with love. 08:25 I never really loved anybody. 08:28 I didn't love myself to begin 08:29 with or else I would not have 08:31 ended up in jail, but I had 08:32 struggled with love of my wife, 08:35 love of my kids, and... 08:38 So... 08:40 ...I was visited by a jail 08:43 chaplain and he-- we were-- my 08:45 wife was struggling with 08:46 relationships with people around 08:48 the town that we lived in 08:49 because of what had happened 08:50 with me. 08:51 And his response to me was, you 08:53 have to love them. 08:55 And that was very difficult for 08:57 me because if I didn't love 08:59 myself, how could I love others? 09:03 My love was so bad that even 09:04 though my wife obviously knew 09:06 that I was going to jail and my 09:07 kids and even my oldest brother 09:09 knew, I couldn't even tell my 09:11 parents that I was going 09:12 to jail. 09:13 So-- because I was scared 09:15 of that. 09:16 So there was a complete, total 09:18 lack of love in my life. 09:20 But reading through the Bible, 09:23 you learn that God was all about 09:25 love from the very, very 09:27 beginning. 09:28 Even when Adam and Eve first 09:31 sinned, He was all about love 09:32 because He'd set up the 09:33 redemption plan at the 09:35 beginning, and then He gave His 09:36 only Son for us. 09:38 So John is my favorite book of 09:39 the Bible. 09:41 And so when you read what Jesus 09:43 did for us, it just teaches how 09:48 important love is, how important 09:49 it is to love ourselves, but 09:51 also to love those around us. 09:54 So I quickly found out in jail, 09:56 being separated from family and 09:58 how important love was, how 10:00 important my wife was to me to 10:02 begin with. 10:03 Being separated from her really 10:05 was difficult and I found out 10:07 how much I really did love her 10:09 and how much I did love my, the 10:11 rest of my family. 10:12 My wife was on a different page 10:14 though. 10:14 While I was changing, she could 10:17 not really see it. 10:18 It was only letters and the 10:19 biweekly phone calls that we had 10:22 so you can't really get a gauge 10:23 as to where a person is. 10:25 But I knew that I was changing, 10:27 but I needed to be with her to 10:30 prove that these changes were 10:32 actually real. 10:33 So when you're in jail, you're 10:34 in jail with a cross section 10:36 of society. 10:37 There's young, old, all 10:39 different racial backgrounds, 10:40 all different upbringings, all 10:43 sorts of different people. 10:45 To be honest with you, a lot of 10:46 those people in jail, I would 10:48 not have befriended if I was not 10:52 stuck with them in that unit. 10:54 But you have to learn to get 10:56 along with them, you have to 10:57 learn to love them for who they 10:58 are and just recognize them for 11:01 their differences. 11:02 And that helped me to build that 11:06 love relationship because like I 11:07 said, they're not people that I 11:09 would have mixed with on the 11:10 outside. 11:12 So as my release date came 11:14 closer, time stands still. 11:16 I mean, jail time runs slow 11:17 anyways, but time really starts 11:19 to stand still. 11:21 And I needed to be home to prove 11:23 to my wife, to my family, that I 11:25 was a different person, that I'd 11:26 changed completely while I was 11:28 in jail. 11:29 I also needed to prove that to 11:31 myself because while I was 11:32 locked up, I did not have the 11:34 outside influences. 11:36 So very, very limited influence 11:38 that could change me. 11:40 But-- so I needed to get out. 11:42 But it was still time away, but 11:45 just, with just a month left in 11:47 my sentence, I got incredible 11:49 news, that I was going to be 11:50 released a month early and I'd 11:52 previously been told that nobody 11:54 gets released a month early. 11:56 Nobody gets released early 11:57 at all. 11:58 So-- but I'd done a lot of 12:00 prayer on it and through the 12:01 grace of God, I got released 12:03 that month early. 12:05 So I would be able to prove to 12:07 myself and others that I was a 12:08 new person. 12:09 So with three days left in my 12:11 original sentence, I tried to 12:13 phone my wife to tell her the 12:15 news, and there was no answer. 12:17 And I phoned over and over and 12:20 over again that day, trying to 12:21 get hold of her. 12:22 Finally, I got hold of her to 12:24 tell her that she needed to come 12:26 and pick me up in three days 12:27 time. 12:28 And she screamed in my ear, 12:30 literally almost blew out my 12:31 eardrum because we were both so 12:33 excited to be-- that I was 12:34 coming home early. 12:36 >> You know, Paul, this just 12:37 shows me that God's timing 12:39 is perfect. 12:41 He knew that you would be ready 12:43 a month before your release date 12:46 to go out and to show everyone 12:49 how He changed you and that you 12:52 are transformed and a new 12:54 creation in Jesus. 12:57 That's so encouraging. 12:59 >> So all these changes were 13:00 happening in your life, Paul, 13:02 during this time that you were 13:03 in jail, what was happening in 13:06 Judy's life? 13:07 >> So unbeknownst to me, Judy, 13:10 even before I'd gone to jail, 13:12 had been attending the 13:14 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 13:16 Because of the work schedule 13:17 that I had, I was not always 13:19 home on the weekends. 13:21 So she was attending the church, 13:22 she was going to prayer night 13:23 meetings, things like that. 13:25 So while I was in jail, she was 13:27 having regular Bible studies 13:29 with our pastor, and this was 13:32 happening on a weekly basis. 13:34 She was also going to church on 13:36 a weekly basis, never telling me 13:39 any of this at all. 13:40 >> What was your thoughts when 13:41 you started to find this out? 13:44 >> I was honestly not 100% sure. 13:48 I wasn't sure where our lives 13:50 were going at this point, 13:51 because I still had a, I'd had 13:53 so many changes happening in my 13:54 life that I did not know what 13:56 the future was going to hold. 13:58 But it wasn't a bad thing. 14:01 And when I came home and I met 14:04 the pastor, I knew that what was 14:07 going on was an absolute 14:08 good thing. 14:09 [MIKE] There was also a visit 14:11 that you had from a pastor while 14:14 you were in Regina. 14:16 Tell us about that. 14:17 >> So yeah. 14:17 So Pastor Troy Guderyan, through 14:20 the pastor that Judy was seeing, 14:24 had made contact with me and 14:25 asked for permission to come 14:27 and visit. 14:28 And he came and visited 14:29 and it was wonderful. 14:31 He came to visit me the one 14:32 time, gave me a Bible, a new 14:35 King James Bible, which I 14:37 swapped out for the other Bible 14:39 that I'd been reading and 14:40 started reading that. 14:41 And I went away from that 14:43 meeting, thanked him for coming, 14:44 and thought that that was the 14:45 end of it until the next week 14:48 when I got a call to go back to 14:49 the chapel and he was there 14:50 again. 14:51 And he came to visit me every 14:53 week, except for one, for the 14:55 rest of my sentence. 14:57 We developed a really good 14:58 friendship while I was in jail, 15:00 a good relationship, and we 15:01 still have that friendship to 15:03 this day. 15:04 >> So when Paul was in jail, he 15:07 was writing me a lot of letters 15:09 and I was having a difficult 15:11 time writing letters. 15:13 But he was trying to write more 15:16 and more and writing quotes from 15:19 the Bible. 15:20 He wrote the entire love chapter 15:23 in Corinthians. 15:26 And I was starting to think, 15:28 "This man is changing so much." 15:31 Another thing when I was, 15:35 at the time when Paul was in 15:36 jail, my knees were giving me a 15:39 lot of trouble. 15:40 I was needing knee surgery, and 15:43 so I could not mow the lawn. 15:45 So Pastor Ricardo, and I don't 15:49 know of any priests who do this, 15:51 but he would cut my lawn. 15:53 Every week he would come and cut 15:54 my lawn and then he would brush 15:57 the grass off himself and he'd 15:58 be sniffling and sneezing and 16:01 he'd say, "I kind of have a 16:03 reaction to grass, like, I'm 16:05 allergic to it." 16:06 And I'm like, "You're allergic 16:09 and you're cutting my lawn?" 16:10 And what was great is later he'd 16:13 be blowing his nose, but he'd be 16:14 doing a Bible study with me and 16:17 that was another wonderful way 16:20 to learn about the faith, learn 16:22 about the Bible. 16:23 Instead of an hour with learning 16:25 the Bible, he would spend like 16:27 two and a half hours with me, 16:29 and it was a wonderful time to 16:31 learn the Bible, and I was very 16:34 grateful for that. 16:36 >> Now, when Paul ended up in 16:39 jail, I was already doing Bible 16:43 studies with his wife, and that 16:46 was a very sensitive time. 16:47 Judy needed a lot of help. 16:49 I remember going there earlier 16:52 so that I could cut the grass 16:54 and mow the lawn, and then I 16:56 would do the Bible study and it 16:58 was such a nice time. 16:59 And one of the things also that 17:01 it was amazing in that time is 17:03 that though Paul was going 17:05 through a hard time in jail, he 17:07 ended up being in a city that is 17:10 Regina, where I had a friend. 17:12 And Judy asked me if I had 17:14 anyone that I know in Regina and 17:18 I said, "Yeah, I have a good 17:19 friend there, Pastor Troy." 17:21 So I called Pastor Troy and I 17:23 told him, "Buddy, I have someone 17:26 that needs visitation. 17:27 Can you make the time?" 17:28 And of course, Troy, you know, 17:30 got the clearance and he started 17:31 visiting in jail and he started 17:35 basically studying with Paul. 17:36 And that was such a blessing for 17:38 Paul as he was going through 17:40 this hard time in his life. 17:44 The baptism of Paul, that was 17:47 something that it was so nice 17:48 for me because I had the 17:50 privilege to baptize him along 17:53 with my friend, Troy. 17:54 And he wanted it that way 17:55 because both of us, God used us 17:58 to play a very important role in 18:00 that transformational process 18:02 and Paul accepting God and being 18:04 baptized, so... 18:07 >> So by the time I came home in 18:08 November, Judy was already 18:10 talking about baptism. 18:12 She'd been studying with Pastor 18:13 Ricardo, taking Bible studies, 18:15 and had made a decision that she 18:16 was going to be baptized on 18:17 February 14th, Valentine's Day. 18:20 Now, while that day was a very 18:22 emotional and a wonderful 18:24 experience, wasn't quite ready 18:26 for to make that commitment yet. 18:29 Baptism is not something that 18:31 you take lightly, it's something 18:32 you need to make a major 18:33 commitment and I was not quite 18:35 at that place yet. 18:37 >> So Judy was baptized, and now 18:41 when were you baptized? 18:43 >> So I was baptized in July of 18:45 2017 at camp meeting in the lake 18:50 at Camp White Sands. 18:52 Needed to be done in the lake 18:54 because Jesus was baptized in 18:56 the water, He was not baptized 18:58 in a pool, so I needed to be 19:00 done at the lake. 19:01 Was baptized by Pastor Troy and 19:02 baptized by Pastor Ricardo, two 19:04 of the most influential people 19:06 that had been part of my 19:08 becoming a Christian. 19:10 >> So Pastor Troy was the one 19:12 who visited you in Regina. 19:15 Why Pastor Ricardo? 19:16 >> So Pastor Ricardo had done 19:18 the Bible studies with me, but 19:20 he was my pastor at church and 19:22 we just developed a, not only a 19:25 pastor-person relation, but we 19:28 developed a big, strong 19:29 friendship. 19:30 We're still friends to this day, 19:31 and I think that was important. 19:32 I needed both of them because 19:34 they were both so important in 19:35 my life. 19:37 >> So, Paul, now your life has 19:40 completely changed. 19:41 You've given your life to Jesus. 19:43 You've become baptized. 19:45 You got your old job back as a 19:48 professional trucker, which you 19:50 absolutely loved and were 19:52 passionate about. 19:53 And so everything was going 19:57 wonderful. 19:58 And so it was just happily ever 20:01 after for you? 20:02 >> Um, no. 20:04 So we went to camp meeting in 20:07 July of 2019, just prior to 20:10 going to camp meeting I'd been 20:11 given or my company had given me 20:14 a new truck to drive. 20:16 I drove it for a week, went to 20:18 camp for a week, came back, 20:20 drove it for about two more 20:21 weeks and then I started to feel 20:24 something. 20:25 I was not feeling well. 20:29 Got back home, I was feeling 20:33 really sick around Saskatoon, 20:35 about 6 hours from my home, was 20:38 able to get back home, ended up 20:40 in hospital and I have an 20:42 illness called Guillain-Barré 20:44 syndrome. 20:45 It's an autoimmune disorder. 20:47 It got me paralyzed. 20:49 I was paralyzed from the neck 20:51 down and I was in hospital for 20:53 seven months. 20:55 >> So that's what you found out? 20:57 [PAUL] Yes. 20:57 >> You found out you had 20:58 Guillain-Barré. 21:00 How did you find this out? 21:02 [PAUL] So well, here's some 21:03 tests that they run, how they do 21:04 a spinal tap on to figure out 21:07 what was actually wrong, because 21:08 there was all sorts of things 21:09 going. 21:09 My body was just eating 21:10 itself away. 21:11 So they did a spinal tap and 21:13 determined that it was 21:14 Guillain-Barré syndrome. 21:16 It's a very, very serious 21:17 illness. 21:18 Almost killed me. 21:19 I was rushed to the ICU. 21:21 I was intubated. 21:23 My wife was told that they made 21:24 it with just seconds to spare. 21:27 And... 21:29 ...it changed my life 21:31 completely, but I never lost 21:33 my faith. 21:35 >> Wait, Paul, help me to 21:37 understand. 21:38 You were paralyzed and intubated 21:41 and nearly died, but you're 21:43 here. 21:44 Can you tell us about your life 21:47 being a miracle? 21:48 >> It's only through the grace 21:49 of God. 21:50 So I was in hospital. 21:52 Just before I got intubated, I 21:54 could still speak and I had a 21:56 visit from Pastor Maxi. 21:58 We'd met him at camp meeting. 22:00 Didn't really know him that 22:01 well, became a really good 22:03 friend of mine as we went 22:04 through this journey in hospital 22:06 through the seven months. 22:07 But he came to visit me and he 22:09 said to me, "Can I pray for you? 22:12 Is there something specific that 22:14 I can pray for?" 22:15 And I said, "Can you pray for my 22:17 hands?" 22:18 I said, "I really, I can't live 22:20 without having my hands 22:21 working." 22:22 And so we did a prayer 22:23 for my hands. 22:25 And a couple of days later, I 22:27 was rushed to the hospital, 22:28 rushed to the ICU and intubated 22:30 and I lost my voice. 22:32 Can't speak anymore. 22:34 And as I was laying in my bed 22:36 with nothing much else to do, I 22:39 just started thinking that I 22:40 should have prayed for my voice, 22:42 should have prayed to have my 22:43 voice back. 22:45 But thinking more of that, it 22:47 was like, "Well, if I get my 22:49 hands back, I can do a lot more 22:51 than just speak. 22:53 I can use my hands. 22:54 I could learn to speak 22:55 with my hands. 22:55 I could learn to do everything 22:57 with my hands." 22:58 So praying for my hands was 23:00 the good thing. 23:02 As my recovery eventually did 23:05 start, the first thing that came 23:07 back to me was my hands. 23:09 And my hands came back strong, 23:12 perfect. 23:13 They worked perfect. 23:14 So much so that I could pick up 23:17 a smartphone and type on a 23:19 smartphone, type messages to the 23:20 doctors, to the nurses, to my 23:22 visitors, to my wife, people 23:23 like that, and tell them what I 23:25 wanted to tell them. 23:27 So the doctors could not 23:29 understand how well my hands 23:31 were working and the only thing 23:34 that made any sense of that was 23:36 that prayer. 23:38 >> Paul, you went through all 23:39 these hardships. 23:40 Is there a story in the Bible 23:43 that you can identify with? 23:44 >> Absolutely. 23:45 Job. 23:46 I mean, Job was put through so 23:49 many tests. 23:50 God allowed Job to be tested and 23:54 Job persevered through all those 23:56 tests, the loss of all his 23:58 crops, the loss of all of his 23:59 animals, the loss of his sons 24:01 and daughters, the loss of 24:03 everything. 24:04 And he never lost his faith. 24:07 When I was in hospital, my wife 24:10 was reading Job to me because it 24:14 just gave us that strength that 24:15 if he could go through all of 24:16 that, then we can go through 24:18 this and we can come out of 24:19 this, so... 24:20 And we did. 24:22 So life's not perfect, but it 24:25 was a journey, and I'm quite 24:27 happy with the way things have 24:29 turned out. 24:30 >> Final question, Paul. 24:32 How did this miracle change 24:34 your life? 24:35 >> Gave me a much bigger 24:37 strength in God, knowing that He 24:39 is there for us, but also gave 24:41 me the opportunity to share my 24:43 story, not just here, but I do-- 24:45 I've shared my story at various 24:46 churches across Manitoba, 24:48 telling them. 24:49 I share it online with people, 24:52 I share it on the street with 24:53 people, I've met people and just 24:54 randomly started talking to them 24:56 and have told them this story 24:58 and it just gives them faith 25:00 that God is still there. 25:02 God was doing miracles back in 25:03 the Bible. 25:04 People don't hear about the 25:05 miracles today, so I'm hoping 25:07 that through me they can learn 25:09 that miracles are still 25:09 happening. 25:10 God has given me a ministry 25:12 as well. 25:12 I used to be a long distance 25:13 truck driver, I can't drive a 25:14 truck anymore because I can't 25:16 pass a medical test, but I do 25:18 write a blog. 25:19 I have a blog called "A 25:21 Trucker's Tale of Redemption." 25:22 It's at shinysideup.ca which, 25:26 shiny side up is what truckers 25:28 always want to keep. 25:29 They want to keep the clean side 25:30 of the truck up, not the dirty 25:32 side and that's the side of 25:34 people-- that's the side of me 25:35 that I want people to see is my 25:37 shiny side. 25:38 >> Paul, thank you very much for 25:40 sharing with us on It Is Written 25:41 Canada. 25:42 Sharing your story of how God 25:44 led you through so many places 25:46 in your life to where you are 25:48 now, a completely changed and 25:49 reformed man in the image of 25:52 Christ. 25:53 Can you pray for our viewers 25:54 before we go? 25:56 Pray-- there's maybe someone 25:57 who's thinking God doesn't 25:59 perform miracles today, only in 26:02 Bible times. 26:03 And yet, you know that He has 26:05 performed miracles in your life. 26:07 Can you pray for those people so 26:09 that they can see that God is 26:10 alive and well today and willing 26:12 to work in their lives and show 26:14 His love to them. 26:15 >> Yeah. Let's pray. 26:17 Heavenly Father, we do thank You 26:18 that You are still performing 26:20 miracles. 26:21 People don't see this in real 26:23 life, but I'm one miracle and 26:25 there's many others. 26:27 So we know that You're answering 26:29 prayers. 26:30 Just pray for those people out 26:31 there that are struggling, those 26:32 lost sheep, Lord, we know that 26:35 they are seeking to be found and 26:37 we know that if they just seek 26:39 You, that they will be found. 26:40 We ask for a blessing upon them 26:42 and blessing upon all the 26:43 listeners. 26:44 In Jesus name, amen. 26:45 [MIKE] Amen. 26:47 >> Paul, thank you so much for 26:49 sharing your miraculous life 26:51 today on It Is Written Canada. 26:54 >> Thank you for having me. 26:56 >> Friends, Paul Croft clearly 26:59 experienced the healing power of 27:01 God's love in his life. 27:04 >> Whenever Jesus met people who 27:06 had fallen completely under 27:07 Satan's control with no hope of 27:10 escape, He offered help in the 27:12 kindest, most gentle way. 27:15 Our free offered today is 27:16 entitled "The Healing Power 27:19 of Love." 27:20 >> The Healing Power of Love 27:22 reveals how every moment can 27:24 influence eternity. 27:26 To Jesus, no human was 27:28 worthless. 27:29 He gave hope to the roughest, 27:31 most despondent people, assuring 27:33 them that they could become 27:35 faithful children of God. 27:38 Before you go, we would also 27:40 like to invite you to follow us 27:42 on Instagram and Facebook and 27:45 subscribe to our YouTube channel 27:48 and also listen to our podcasts. 27:50 And if you go to our website, 27:53 you can see our latest programs. 27:55 >> You, too, can experience the 27:57 fullness of life that is found 27:58 in the words of Jesus 27:59 when He said... 28:10 [inspirational music playing] 28:13 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-02-15