Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202403S
|
00:05 [theme music playing]
00:08 ♪♪ 00:42 [gentle piano music playing] 00:45 ♪♪ 00:49 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:50 Canada. 00:50 Thank you for joining us. 00:52 You have probably noticed 00:54 that the human heart is 00:55 naturally defensive. 00:58 We are quick to defend 01:01 and deflect responsibility 01:02 for things that have 01:05 gone wrong in our lives, 01:08 even when we have played a major 01:10 role and made unhealthy or 01:12 destructive decisions. 01:15 >> There is a freedom that comes 01:17 from honestly acknowledging and 01:20 owning our words and behaviour 01:23 that have caused pain and the 01:24 breakdown of relationships 01:26 either with God 01:28 or with those we love. 01:31 Honest accountability 01:33 is the path to healing. 01:35 >> We cannot heal or change 01:37 what we do not 01:39 acknowledge. 01:41 Relationships are 01:42 put back on 01:44 a solid foundation 01:45 only when we are willing to be 01:48 accountable for our part 01:50 in any breakdown. 01:53 >> Today on It Is Written 01:55 Canada, our special guest is 01:57 Pastor Bill Spangler, 01:59 who has led churches in the 02:01 maritime provinces, 02:03 British Columbia and Alberta, 02:06 retiring from ministry 02:07 in 2020. 02:10 He has a bachelor's of theology, 02:13 a master's of divinity degree 02:15 and is trained and is certified 02:18 as a family mediator 02:20 and life coach. 02:22 [MIKE] Bill is married to Gwen 02:24 Yaceyko and they are parents 02:26 to two daughters and enjoy 02:28 two grandchildren. 02:29 Bill is the author of the book, 02:31 Lessons From 02:33 the Wilderness, 02:34 a catalog of life lessons 02:37 that are useful to anyone 02:39 seeking personal growth 02:41 and skills for making 02:42 relationships work. 02:45 >> Bill, welcome to 02:47 It Is Written Canada. 02:49 >> It's so nice to be here. 02:50 I know you guys from a long time 02:52 ago and it's nice to be here 02:53 where you work. 02:55 >> Bill, you wrote a book, 02:57 Lessons From the Wilderness: 02:59 Find Your Way Home and 03:01 Finish Well. 03:02 In the book, there's a chapter 03:04 where you talk about a 03:06 3 a.m. phone call 03:08 and a conversation that you had, 03:10 and it was regarding 03:11 accountability, which we're 03:12 talking about. 03:14 Tell us about that conversation. 03:15 >> Yeah, the book is all about 03:17 lessons that I've learned 03:18 in life and... 03:19 And so it was a dark time in my 03:22 life where I was struggling with 03:25 regrets and feeling─ 03:27 beating up on myself a lot. 03:29 And I remembered a friend who 03:31 said, "Hey, if you ever need to 03:34 talk to somebody, call me 03:35 day or night, I'm available." 03:38 And I remember a statement that 03:40 I read somewhere, it was about a 03:41 guy who said, "Any man can find 03:43 six guys to carry his casket, 03:46 but how many men have somebody 03:48 that they can call 03:49 at 3:00 in the morning? 03:51 And I was thinking about that, 03:53 and I thought of him, so I 03:54 dialed his number. 03:56 And he didn't answer. 03:58 And so that worried me. 03:59 Like, oh, boy... 04:01 And then he called me back 04:03 and he just said, "You just woke 04:05 me up and I wanted to orient 04:07 myself before I called you. 04:08 So what's up?" 04:10 And I said, "Well, you told me I 04:11 could call anytime and so 04:13 here I am," and... 04:15 And he knew what I was 04:16 struggling with and so it wasn't 04:18 that I had to explain that, but 04:20 I just began to ramble along 04:22 with him and tell him about 04:24 what I was feeling and─ but more 04:26 than that, I had a burden 04:28 somehow to explain to him that I 04:30 really wasn't this bad guy 04:33 that I was sure everybody was 04:35 thinking about me. 04:36 And I... 04:39 ...began to explain myself and 04:42 excuse myself and 04:44 wanted to put myself in the best 04:46 light with him that I 04:47 possibly could. 04:48 And so he listened. 04:49 He was great. 04:50 He was a good listener. 04:52 And... 04:53 But it was all about me 04:56 feeling better about myself. 04:57 Me trying to... 05:00 ...talk myself into a 05:01 better place. 05:03 And finally he said, 05:05 when I slowed down and gave him 05:06 a chance to talk, he said... 05:10 "...I've learned in life two 05:12 things that I've never 05:13 forgotten, and that is 05:15 don't explain 05:18 and don't complain." 05:22 And I listened to that and I 05:24 thought, "Don't explain 05:26 and don't complain. 05:28 What are you really saying?" 05:29 And so he began to talk about 05:31 his life and why those 05:34 two words were important to him. 05:37 And─ but as he was talking, 05:38 I began to hear 05:40 what he was saying and it was 05:43 having an impact on me and on my 05:45 own thinking. 05:46 And so he began to unpack 05:49 both those words. 05:50 "Don't explain." 05:53 And he said, "Bill, whenever we 05:54 get into situations that we're 05:56 not comfortable with, our go-to 05:58 place is to explain ourselves 06:00 and we don't... 06:03 ...we don't talk about 06:05 what it is that we've done 06:07 as much as 06:08 why it's okay what we did. 06:09 We're actually trying to 06:10 excuse ourselves. 06:11 Explaining is excusing. 06:13 So if I start to explain to 06:15 somebody, I'm actually finding a 06:18 way to make myself look better 06:20 or feel better or... 06:22 But I'm taking the spotlight off 06:24 the crux of the story itself. 06:27 "Don't explain," he said. 06:29 So I realized, "What I've just 06:31 done with you for these last few 06:33 minutes is exactly that. 06:35 I've been explaining, 06:36 explaining, and explaining." 06:39 And then he said, "It's actually 06:41 not honouring to yourself 06:44 to explain away 06:47 your story or whatever it is 06:50 that you're talking about. 06:51 It's not honouring to you. 06:53 You're not facing, you're not 06:55 responsible, you're not 06:57 accountable for what's 06:58 happening, you're just 07:00 making excuses. 07:01 And basically explaining 07:03 is excusing. 07:05 So then he went to the other 07:06 word, "And don't complain." 07:09 He said, "When you start 07:10 complaining about 07:12 the situation, whatever it might 07:14 be, when you started complaining 07:17 about it, you're basically 07:19 blaming other people. 07:20 You're putting them─ 07:22 "You don't trust me, you don't 07:24 accept me. 07:25 You are the problem. 07:26 You're the one who I need to 07:28 explain all this stuff to. 07:29 If it wasn't for you, if it 07:31 wasn't for your 07:33 thoughts, your 07:35 view of me, I wouldn't have to 07:38 be explaining. 07:39 So you're actually the problem. 07:41 I'm complaining about you." 07:42 So it's not honouring to you 07:43 when I complain. 07:44 It's not honouring to me 07:46 when I explain. 07:48 And those two words 07:50 resonate to this day. 07:51 That phone call was 07:53 24 years ago. 07:55 And I still think about 07:57 that call. 07:58 I still think about those 07:59 I still think about those 08:00 two words. 08:01 And when I get into any 08:02 situation of any kind 08:05 that leads me to want to start 08:08 going down one of those two 08:09 roads, I think, "Don't explain 08:11 roads, I think, "Don't explain 08:12 and don't complain." 08:14 What it did for me was 08:16 it helped me, it actually gave 08:18 me a freedom, even before I got 08:19 off that phone call. 08:22 I could feel myself breathing 08:23 differently. 08:24 I could just... 08:25 It was sort of like... [exhales] 08:29 This is a better place to be in 08:31 rather than to be over here 08:32 or over here. 08:34 Just sit in the middle of this 08:36 story and say, 08:38 "Yeah, it's not about 08:40 me looking better, it's not 08:41 about you being the problem, 08:43 it's about me being honest." 08:48 So it was... 08:51 ...amazingly 08:53 freeing for me, 08:55 but it also gave me a talking 08:57 point for others as I have 08:59 journeyed through life in the 09:00 last 24 years. 09:02 I don't know how many times I've 09:03 said to somebody, "Yeah, I 09:05 learned this lesson long ago. 09:09 Don't explain 09:10 and don't complain. 09:12 Here's the problem with 09:13 explaining or complaining." 09:14 And then I'll ask them openly, 09:17 "Are you explaining or 09:18 complaining here? 09:19 You know, let's talk about that, 09:22 because it was freeing for me 09:24 when I recognized 09:25 the difference. 09:27 I think it could be freeing 09:28 for you, too." 09:30 That phone call at 3 a.m. 09:33 was life changing actually. 09:35 And it's helped me to become 09:38 very honest with my own heart 09:40 and live in a place of honesty 09:42 and accountability. 09:44 >> So, Bill, what is 09:45 accountability? 09:47 >> What is accountability? 09:49 Good question. 09:51 Accountability is ownership 09:54 of either... 09:58 ...anything that I did 09:59 or anything that I said. 10:03 It's ownership rather than 10:06 deflecting, rather than 10:08 defending, rather than excusing. 10:11 It's just simply, 10:14 "I did that," 10:15 or "I said that," 10:17 or "I made that happen." 10:20 My choices, my actions... 10:24 ...this is the result. 10:25 >> Mmm, I think of 10:27 an accountant, the word, 10:28 "accountability." 10:29 So an accountant's looking at 10:31 your records and sees the 10:32 ledger, but in this case... 10:36 ...I can't see into your heart, 10:39 but I can see your actions. 10:41 And so I'm saying, 10:42 "Did you do this?" 10:44 And when you say, "Yes, I did," 10:47 then you're actually saying, 10:49 "Hey, I take responsibility, 10:50 I take ownership for it." 10:52 Yeah...yeah. 10:53 [BILL] That reminds me of a 10:54 time back in grade nine, 10:56 and it was a big class. 10:58 It was the first time I was in a 10:59 big class, just all grade nines. 11:02 And the teacher was coming by to 11:04 pick up the homework for the day 11:06 and the guy across from me, 11:08 I hadn't completed all of my 11:10 homework, but I handed it in and 11:12 she asked for his and he said, 11:14 "I didn't do it." 11:16 He wasn't being... 11:19 ...belligerent or anything, he 11:20 just, "I didn't do it." 11:22 And... 11:24 ...there was nothing she 11:25 could say. 11:26 She had no followup questions, 11:28 she didn't say, "Well, were you 11:30 watching TV or were you 11:33 doing something else?" 11:34 She just─ "I didn't do it." 11:37 And I've never forgot that. 11:38 It's like there's no place to go 11:40 with that except, "Okay, well, 11:42 now let's deal with the fact 11:43 that the homework isn't done." 11:44 There's no talking around it. 11:47 There's no making excuses. 11:49 It's just, "I didn't do it." 11:51 And there's something freeing 11:54 about that. 11:55 >> Mmm, I mean, he could have 11:56 said, "Hey, I had other 11:57 things to do. 11:58 My dad wanted me to do this, my 12:00 mom wanted me to do this. 12:01 The dog ate my homework. 12:02 I actually did it, but..." 12:03 [BILL] "...I dropped it in a mud 12:04 puddle on the way to school." 12:05 [MIKE] Yeah. [chuckles] 12:07 >> But he was just honest. 12:09 He said... 12:09 [BILL] He was just honest. 12:10 [RENÉ] "...I didn't do it." 12:11 >> That's what's so beautiful 12:13 about accountability. 12:14 And that's why I like talking 12:16 about it, because there's a 12:18 freedom in accountability. 12:21 We think that accountability 12:22 will get us into trouble. 12:24 I just thought of another story. 12:26 A friend told me that he had to 12:28 go to court for something. 12:29 It was a misdemeanour, 12:31 a traffic fine, 12:33 something simple. 12:35 And he went to court and he 12:36 said, "Yeah, I'm guilty. 12:40 Where do I pay?" 12:41 And the judge said, 12:43 "Would you like to 12:45 get a lawyer?" 12:47 And it must have been more than 12:49 a traffic fine for him to ask 12:50 that, but, "Would you like to 12:51 get a lawyer?" and... 12:53 "No, I did this, I─ 12:56 where do I pay?" 12:57 "Are you sure you don't want 13:00 a lawyer?" 13:01 "Uh...no. 13:02 There is no need for a lawyer. 13:04 I'm guilty. 13:05 Where do I pay?" 13:08 The system couldn't even handle 13:10 his accountability. 13:12 But it was very freeing for him. 13:13 But there's no excuse, there's 13:14 nothing to talk about. 13:16 Here─ what do I do now? 13:19 And accountability is just... 13:23 ...such a gift if we will own 13:24 ...such a gift if we will own 13:24 it, because now we just deal 13:27 with the facts rather than 13:29 all the stuff around the fact 13:31 to deflect. 13:32 >> So, Pastor Bill, why is 13:35 accountability so hard? 13:39 >> I think, René, it's because 13:42 it's the human nature, 13:44 it's the human heart, 13:45 the human condition. 13:46 I mean, just think back to the 13:47 story in Eden... 13:50 ...just after Eve and Adam 13:53 had eaten the fruit that God had 13:54 said, don't eat, and now it's 13:56 the first conversation between 13:58 God and Adam and Eve after that. 14:00 There is no time for... 14:04 ...sin to take 14:06 its time to build up 14:07 in the heart and do different 14:08 things, it's the first 14:10 conversation. 14:11 And Adam starts with... 14:14 ...blaming. 14:15 "Well, God, this woman that You 14:18 gave me..." 14:20 So now he's complaining. 14:21 When I think about explain and 14:23 complain, he's complaining. 14:24 "God, You gave me this woman 14:25 and she did this." 14:27 And then Eve steps in and 14:30 she does the explaining part. 14:33 And she said, "The serpent 14:35 deceived me and 14:37 it wasn't my fault, 14:38 the serpent did this." 14:40 So they're explaining and 14:41 complaining. 14:42 And to me, it's the perfect 14:44 example of the human heart, 14:47 the human condition. 14:48 And when we look at the stories 14:50 of the Bible and then the 14:51 stories in our own lives... 14:54 ...accountability is 14:56 such a tough, 14:58 tough place to go 15:01 because the human heart 15:02 wants to be right. 15:03 The human heart wants 15:04 to be perfect. 15:05 The human heart wants to be 15:06 better, does not want 15:08 to acknowledge... 15:10 ...brokenness. 15:12 I think that's the main 15:14 reason we find it so hard. 15:15 It's the human condition. 15:17 >> I remember reading a book 15:19 called Extreme Ownership, and it 15:20 was about the Navy Seals and how 15:22 they had to own, you know... 15:24 And that's what builds up a 15:27 team, that's what built up a 15:29 sense of trust 15:31 is when they have─ when they 15:33 own it. 15:34 They say, "I'm responsible 15:36 for this. 15:36 I take complete accountability 15:39 for my actions." 15:40 >> Right, I've read that book, 15:41 and I remember one of the 15:42 chapters he talked about the 15:44 fact that somebody out in the 15:46 rank and file had done something 15:48 that caused grief, and he owned 15:51 that, too, because he said, 15:52 "I'm the leader. 15:54 I should have had that guy 15:56 in a better place." 15:57 And that's, I mean, that's why 16:00 it's called extreme ownership. 16:01 [MIKE] Mm-hmm. 16:02 And the respect that he received 16:04 because of that. 16:05 Sometimes it helps us to 16:06 understand what is the opposite 16:08 of something we're talking 16:09 about. 16:10 So what is the opposite of 16:12 accountability? 16:14 >> I think that accounta─ the 16:16 opposite of accountability is 16:18 when we move into a place that I 16:20 call victimhood, 16:22 where I, now... 16:25 ...I'm the victim 16:26 to this story. 16:27 to this story. 16:27 You didn't, 16:28 or you didn't. 16:31 My wife didn't, my kids didn't. 16:33 Or if my kids would or 16:36 if my boss was different or... 16:39 You know, and it's "poor me," 16:41 it's a "poor me" story. 16:42 "They didn't treat me fair. 16:44 They betrayed me. 16:45 They did this to me..." 16:48 ...rather than to take a look at 16:50 the whole picture and say, 16:52 "What's my role in 16:53 this story? 16:55 What's my part in this story? 16:57 What do I have to fix?" 16:59 I've often talked to couples and 17:01 one person will, 17:03 one of the couple will 17:05 complain about the other person 17:07 or vice versa or whatever. 17:09 And I'll turn to the other 17:10 person and I'll say, 17:12 "So...how do you wanna respond 17:15 to what they just said?" 17:16 And so the response will come, 17:18 and then I'll ask this question, 17:20 "So what if 17:21 5% of what 17:24 she just said is true? 17:27 What are you gonna do 17:27 about the 5%?" 17:30 You know, she's maybe dumped 17:32 90% of stuff, 17:35 but if only 5% of it's true, 17:37 what will you do with the 5%? 17:40 You're accountable for your 17:42 part, whatever that part is. 17:44 And it's─ 17:46 accountability can be so 17:49 healing for people 17:51 when they take it on and say, 17:52 "I need to do this differently. 17:55 I need to change." 17:57 So when I say, 17:59 "I acknowledge 18:00 that I said this... 18:02 ...but you need to understand 18:04 that you made me angry 18:06 in the first place. 18:06 If you hadn't done what you did, 18:08 if you hadn't said what you 18:09 said, if you hadn't acted in the 18:10 way you had, I wouldn't have 18:12 done this." 18:13 As soon as we put a "but" in it 18:15 and then explain it, 18:17 we cancel everything out. 18:20 So an apology goes like this, 18:21 a good apology goes, 18:22 "I acknowledge that I 18:25 said, did, whatever," 18:28 and then 18:29 I apologize. 18:31 I acknowledge 18:32 and I apologize. 18:34 And that's where we put 18:36 the period in. 18:37 A big period. 18:38 Like we should even 18:40 look like it's a stop sign. 18:42 Big enough to be a stop─ 18:43 "I acknowledge and I apologize," 18:45 Stop. [claps] 18:47 Because then we're just simply 18:47 Because then we're just simply 18:50 dealing with the truth. 18:53 And if we really want to follow 18:54 on and make it complete, 18:57 we could offer amends for what 18:59 it is that we just did. 19:02 The reality is, if we offer 19:04 amends, that's─ then we can be 19:07 in control of that. 19:08 If we say, how can I make amends 19:09 to you, how to─ say to my wife, 19:12 "How can I make amends to you?" 19:13 "Well, a cruise in the 19:15 Caribbean would be good." 19:16 You know? [laughter] 19:17 And then all of a sudden, we're 19:19 into a lot of money 19:20 over this amends thing. 19:22 But I acknowledge, 19:24 I apologize, 19:25 I want to make amends by. 19:28 I acknowledge that I 19:30 completely missed our 19:31 appointment for breakfast this 19:32 morning, and I apologize. 19:34 I wanna make amends to you by 19:36 buying you lunch later on." 19:39 Something that would 19:41 be a statement of sincerity 19:43 in my apology. 19:45 And then I acknowledge, 19:47 I apologize, I make amends by, 19:50 and I commit to. 19:53 If I commit to... 19:55 ...doing better, if I commit to 19:57 paying better attention to what 19:59 it is that caused this situation 20:01 in the first place. 20:03 If I commit to... 20:06 ...slowing down. 20:08 If I commit to focusing. 20:12 If I commit to whatever it might 20:13 be that's been the challenge 20:15 here, it helps to... 20:18 ...heal the brokenness of 20:19 whatever it is that's 20:20 taken place. 20:23 The human heart doesn't wanna 20:24 do those things, but 20:26 by the grace of God, Jesus calls 20:28 us to those kinds of things. 20:30 I think about 20:32 stories in the Bible of people 20:34 who were confronted with things. 20:37 David was confronted by 20:39 Nathan and he said, 20:42 "I have sinned." 20:43 He didn't make excuses 20:45 for what he did. 20:49 Adam and Eve are a good example 20:50 of what not to do. 20:53 David's a good example of 20:54 what to do. 20:56 And then the skills around that 20:57 can go very far in... 21:01 ...taking 100% responsibility 21:03 for our side of the street 21:05 and doing what's right. 21:08 >> You talk about the human 21:09 condition, and you said that it 21:11 was selfishness, and that 21:13 selfishness is also 21:16 keeping my identity looking good 21:18 or having a 21:20 good image 21:22 as far as other people are 21:23 concerned. 21:24 That takes a lot of work, 21:25 really, and a lot of energy 21:28 and nervous energy, because you 21:29 don't know what you said to who 21:31 or how you keep... 21:33 And when you go back to 21:34 telling the truth... 21:36 ...that's hard, but choose your 21:38 hard, because you wanna choose 21:40 the hard that is honest 21:42 and truthful, or do you wanna 21:43 choose the hard that is keeping 21:45 up an image which really 21:47 doesn't allow you peace of mind 21:49 and peace of heart because it's 21:50 just not honest. 21:51 It's not really who you are. 21:52 >> Exactly. 21:53 I think of the word, "poser." 21:55 It's a word that's come up 21:57 recently. 21:58 I'm posing to be somebody that 22:00 I'm really not. 22:01 I'm wearing a mask. 22:02 So I put on a smiley face and I 22:05 present myself well, when inside 22:07 I'm broken. 22:09 Or I put on a mask that says 22:11 that I'm perfect when 22:12 I've just... 22:14 ...said something to my wife 22:15 that's been very damaging. 22:17 And, we put on these masks, 22:19 we're posing. 22:20 And that's hard work. 22:22 It's just simpler to say, 22:24 "I did that. 22:26 I'm guilty. 22:27 I'm responsible." 22:29 >> And you know what, at the 22:30 same time, when we are posing or 22:32 putting on a mask, there's 22:33 really no freedom in that. 22:35 [BILL] There is no freedom 22:36 at all. 22:37 [RENÉ] You know, so... 22:38 >> Because pretty soon we don't 22:39 know who we are anymore. 22:41 We look in the mirror and we 22:42 look at the mask and we think, 22:43 "Well, that's who─ I guess 22:44 that's who I am." 22:45 And I'm really not. 22:46 And it's when we 22:48 peel the masks away 22:50 that we really find a sense of 22:53 freedom, peace, joy. 22:55 And I think that's why this 22:57 topic on accountability 22:59 is really important to me. 23:01 It's not just, oh, that's an 23:02 interesting topic. 23:03 It's important because 23:05 people are locked up in 23:07 their stories, 23:08 behind their masks, 23:10 afraid to be real. 23:13 And it's a scary world. 23:16 It's a scary world. 23:17 I have listened to people 23:20 be safe enough to tell their 23:21 story and tell things that they 23:23 haven't said out loud 23:25 for 30 years. 23:26 Maybe they're the only person 23:28 who even knows the story 23:29 happened. 23:30 And I have watched them tell the 23:33 story for the first time to a 23:35 group of people or to somebody, 23:37 and then just melt into tears 23:39 at the freedom of it all. 23:40 at the freedom of it all. 23:41 And the difference is 23:43 incredible. 23:45 That's what accountability does. 23:47 And Jesus just simply wants us 23:48 And Jesus just simply wants us 23:49 to come to Him and say... 23:52 "...I need You. 23:53 I don't have it all together. 23:56 I─ I'm broken. 23:58 I─ this is me. 23:59 I can't make excuses. 24:01 It's not the serpent, it's not 24:02 my wife that You gave me, 24:04 it's me." 24:05 And that's where God can 24:07 bless us. 24:09 >> That place where people 24:10 can open up like that 24:12 is a place of safety, it's a 24:13 place of love. 24:14 And the Bible says perfect love 24:16 casts out all fear. 24:17 And it's fear that keeps us from 24:19 being accountable. 24:20 Fear of the cost. 24:22 Cost to my image, cost to my 24:24 wallet, cost to my time. 24:26 What is it gonna cost me? 24:27 Cost to my energy. 24:29 But when you tell the truth, 24:31 God gives you the time, He gives 24:33 you the energy, gives you what 24:34 you need to make it right. 24:36 So He's like, "Trust Me. 24:38 Trust me, if you trust Me, 24:39 I'll give you everything you 24:41 need to make this right." 24:42 And, that's a place of love. 24:45 >> Absolutely. 24:46 I have come to the conclusion 24:48 that secrets keep us sick. 24:51 Secrets keep us in a place 24:54 of darkness. 24:55 It's when the secrets are opened 24:57 up that now I have to 24:59 deal with that... 25:01 ...but it's better than 25:02 keeping the secrets stuffed down 25:04 inside of me and afraid that you 25:06 might find out, afraid that the 25:07 phone might ring, afraid that 25:09 somebody's going to say 25:10 something, that's going to 25:12 whatever... 25:15 ...destroy, hurt... 25:18 ...make me accountable when 25:19 I don't wanna be. 25:20 If I can choose accountability, 25:22 it changes everything. 25:24 >> Bill, thanks so much for 25:25 sharing with us. 25:26 We've come to the end of our 25:28 time together. 25:29 I wonder if you could pray. 25:30 Pray for our viewers. 25:31 There might be someone who's 25:32 watching who says, "I really 25:33 need that freedom. 25:35 I need what accountability 25:37 can give me." 25:38 Would you like to pray for them 25:39 right now? 25:40 >> I sure would. 25:41 Dear God in heaven, thank You 25:42 for who You are and thank You 25:44 for Your love to us. 25:46 You know us, You know our 25:47 hearts, You know where we've 25:48 made mistakes. 25:51 But today, many people are 25:54 burdened by the secrets that 25:56 they carry. 25:59 Or by their inability or 26:00 unwillingness to just 26:02 acknowledge and heal 26:04 situations that could be 26:06 taken care of so easily. 26:09 I pray for strength for those 26:11 people. 26:12 Each one of us, all of us as we 26:14 journey, may we be healthy 26:15 before You, may we be honest 26:17 before You and may we enjoy 26:18 before You and may we enjoy 26:20 Your love. 26:20 Thank You. 26:21 In Jesus name, amen. 26:23 [MIKE] Amen. 26:24 [birds chirping] 26:28 [gentle piano music playing] 26:31 ♪♪ 26:37 [sound of ocean waves] 26:42 ♪♪ 26:45 >> Bill, thank you so much for 26:46 joining us on It Is Written 26:48 Canada today. 26:50 >> It's been great to be here. 26:51 Thank you for having me. 26:52 [gentle piano music continues] 27:01 >> Friends, whenever life hits 27:03 me in the face and I am 27:04 confronted with tough decisions 27:07 like taking responsibility when 27:09 I feel like opting out, I pick 27:11 up this little book, Help In 27:14 Daily Living. 27:15 >> If you feel like your wheels 27:17 are simply spinning and you're 27:19 not getting anywhere, 27:21 you will find solutions 27:24 in this little book, 27:25 Help In Daily Living. 27:28 >> Before you go, we would like 27:30 to thank all of you who have 27:31 supported the ministry of It Is 27:33 Written Canada with your prayers 27:34 and financial contributions. 27:37 Without your support, this 27:38 television ministry could not 27:40 have reached so many people 27:42 for so many decades. 27:44 >> Yes. Thank you. 27:47 And we would also like to invite 27:49 you to follow us on Instagram 27:52 and Facebook and subscribe 27:54 to our YouTube channel, 27:56 and also listen to our podcasts. 27:59 And if you go to our website, 28:01 you can see our latest programs. 28:04 >> Friends, if you want the kind 28:06 of peace and freedom that Pastor 28:08 Bill Spangler experienced, we 28:10 recommend that you open the 28:12 Bible, God's Word, where it is 28:15 recorded that Jesus found His 28:17 assurance to defeat the Devil 28:19 through the Word of His Father 28:22 when He declared... 28:33 [uplifting music playing] 28:36 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-10-17