Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202409S
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00:18 [theme music playing]
00:21 ♪♪ 00:57 [horn blaring] 00:59 [gentle guitar music] 01:01 ♪♪ 01:03 >> Welcome to It Is Written 01:04 Canada. 01:06 Have you ever felt like running 01:08 away from your own life? 01:10 Have you experienced restless 01:12 days and nights trying to 01:14 outrun a decision that you know 01:17 is good for you, but you fear 01:19 the unknown and perhaps the 01:21 change that it may bring 01:23 with it? 01:25 >> Have you experienced an 01:26 unstable yet loving home? 01:28 A home where you had to split up 01:31 your time between the people 01:33 you love the most? 01:34 Imagine a young boy seeing his 01:36 own mother falling very ill and 01:38 becoming addicted to the pills 01:40 that she receives 01:41 while in hospital care. 01:44 >> You grow up with addiction 01:45 being part of your vocabulary 01:47 and experienced recovery through 01:49 the actions of your mother. 01:51 You catch a glimpse 01:53 of the hopeful but distant world 01:56 of recovery. 01:58 >> Today on It Is Written 01:59 Canada, Blair Nolan has agreed 02:01 to open his heart and become 02:03 very vulnerable, sharing his 02:05 story of restless running to 02:07 a life he thought was 02:09 too good to be true. 02:12 >> Hi, my name's Blair 02:13 and I'm from Vancouver, 02:15 British Columbia. 02:16 Well, I definitely had a 02:18 unique upbringing. 02:21 My parents were separated 02:23 before I have any memories, 02:25 around one years old. 02:26 around one years old. 02:27 Was back and forth 02:29 throughout my childhood. 02:32 I started with my mom. 02:34 I was with my mom until 02:36 I was six years old. 02:38 She got sick 02:38 She got sick 02:40 with her kidney. 02:42 She ended up losing her, 02:43 one of her kidneys and 02:45 I went to live with my dad 02:46 I went to live with my dad 02:47 for a few years. 02:48 And that was the first time 02:50 away from mom as a young kid. 02:52 That was... 02:53 ...tough years. 02:55 I remember that. 02:56 Looking back on those 02:57 three or four years, those were 02:58 really nice years to... 03:01 ...spend time with my dad, 03:02 you know, just the guys. 03:04 Single dad, coaching my sports 03:07 and lots of fun, though. 03:09 So as I was staying with my mom, 03:11 So as I was staying with my mom, 03:12 it's when she was sick, 03:14 losing her kidney, that she 03:16 really developed addiction. 03:19 Also, I was 12 years old. 03:21 That's when I stayed at that 03:24 recovery house for a bit. 03:25 But my mom had gone to 03:26 treatment prior to that. 03:30 I haven't thought about this 03:30 I haven't thought about this 03:31 stuff in a long time. 03:33 You know, like a long time. 03:36 It's just, first of all, it's 03:37 not very easy. 03:39 So looking back on my childhood, 03:41 I definitely had a lot of 03:43 ups and downs. 03:44 There was difficult times, 03:46 but there was lots of good 03:47 times, too. 03:48 My dad worked really hard to 03:50 take care of, you know, take 03:52 care of me and everything he 03:53 needed to for the house. 03:54 Mom gave me lots of love when 03:56 she was available and she was 03:57 she was available and she was 03:58 able to. 03:59 [pensive music] 04:02 ♪♪ 04:03 One thing I do take from it, 04:05 though, it did teach me about 04:07 recovery. 04:09 Seeing my mom struggle with 04:11 addiction a little bit, 04:13 I always knew that there was... 04:16 ...another way. 04:18 And, you know, as I got 04:20 into my teens and... 04:23 ...started to drink, 13, 14 04:25 years old with friends, realized 04:27 really early on that I was 04:29 different than most of 04:31 my friends. 04:32 I ended up with 04:34 consequences from drinking, 04:35 I ended up blacking out. 04:37 I ended up wanting more, 04:40 embarrassing myself. 04:43 And right away, I was able to, 04:45 you know, diagnose myself as 04:47 an alcoholic. 04:49 Right away I 04:51 sort of knew that 04:52 I was gonna be different, 04:54 and I was gonna be 04:56 an addict, I guess you 04:57 could say. 04:58 [melancholy music] 05:01 ♪♪ 05:07 Looking back on my 05:09 teens and early adult life, 05:11 that was really, you know, 05:13 setting the stage for later on 05:14 in my addiction. 05:16 Starting off with smoking pot 05:18 and drinking alcohol and... 05:21 ...as you get older, you're 05:23 popping pills and... 05:25 ...doing other drugs, 05:26 staying up late and... 05:28 [ominous screeching sound] 05:31 In 2013... 05:32 In 2013... 05:35 ...I had stopped working and... 05:38 ...you know, met a girl and 05:40 decided to try crystal meth 05:42 for the first time. 05:43 Shortly thereafter, I was 05:44 homeless. 05:45 homeless. 05:45 [harsh sound] 05:47 [ominous echo] 05:48 You know, my dad, who was 05:50 my biggest supporter, 05:51 you know, who... 05:54 ...always allowed me to stay in 05:55 his home, had finally 05:57 decided that, you know, he 05:58 decided that, you know, he 05:58 couldn't do that anymore, and he 06:00 needed to ask me to leave and... 06:02 And I remember that first night, 06:04 you know, homeless, not knowing 06:07 where to go or what to do, and 06:10 sleeping in his carport outside 06:12 his car, you know, and I think 06:13 his car, you know, and I think 06:14 he told me he walked over me 06:15 and, you know, to get into his 06:17 car to go to work, you know, and 06:18 there's his son, almost, 06:20 you know, 28 years old, sleeping 06:22 on the ground outside his car. 06:25 And, you know, looking back on 06:26 it, I could only imagine how 06:27 difficult, you know, that must 06:29 have been for him. 06:30 [melancholy violin music] 06:33 ♪♪ 06:37 I'm homeless. 06:39 I think I go to Broadway and 06:40 Commercial first and sort of get 06:42 started there and, 06:44 you know, that next two years of 06:46 homelessness is a bit of a blur. 06:49 One long marathon race 06:52 with maybe a few breaks 06:54 over the year and a half. 06:58 In and out of jail, hospital... 07:02 ...non-compliant with my 07:03 medication... 07:06 ...going on runs fuelled by 07:09 drugs and ending up in hospital 07:12 every six weeks or so... 07:15 ...having them nursed me back to 07:17 health and get me back on my 07:19 feet just to set me up 07:21 for another run. 07:23 Those runs got shorter and 07:24 shorter over that two year 07:26 period. 07:27 When it started off, I was... 07:30 ...probably out going for 2 or 3 07:32 months and then it was 07:34 two months and one month and 07:36 three weeks and, you know, and 07:38 the next thing you know, you're 07:39 in the hospital every two weeks 07:41 and, you know, the desire to get 07:44 sober was always there. 07:46 But, you know, it's always 07:47 tomorrow. 07:49 You know, it's never right now. 07:51 Once I finish this or once this 07:53 happens, then I'll do that. 07:55 You know, you wanna, you want 07:57 the consequences to stop, you 07:59 want people to not be mad at you 08:02 anymore, you want to keep your 08:03 job, you want to keep your 08:05 relationship so you're 08:07 trying to get clean, 08:09 you're going to treatment and... 08:11 ...really, you know, putting in 08:13 an effort but not a full 08:15 commitment, a full buy in. 08:18 You know, I learned later in 08:19 life that's what it takes ─ 08:21 full commitment, a willingness 08:23 to turn over every stone, 08:25 to do whatever suggestion is 08:27 given to you. 08:28 I was willing to take most the 08:30 suggestions, I was willing to 08:31 try to put some effort in, 08:34 but ultimately it was, you know, 08:37 still on my time, my way 08:40 a bit you know. 08:41 a bit you know. 08:41 And that led me to more use, 08:44 you know, more failure. 08:46 [ominous sound] 08:49 >> So let me ask you a question. 08:52 Do we all have to go through our 08:54 own process of recovery? 08:56 Is this a thing of 08:58 running away something new? 09:01 Or has it been happening 09:03 throughout the ages? 09:05 >> In ancient times, the Bible 09:07 tells us that Adam and Eve ran 09:09 away from God. 09:11 Jonah ran away from God. 09:13 Elijah ran for his life. 09:17 Peter turned his back on Jesus. 09:21 Whenever God-fearing men 09:23 and women, children of God 09:26 run away, 09:28 God outran them. 09:31 >> I can remember 09:34 walking through Hastings and 09:35 running into a friend, 09:36 Dave Miller. 09:37 He was sober, he was at 09:39 Harbour Light. 09:40 He was telling me to come in, 09:41 that they have space and... 09:43 And I remember 09:46 taking him for lunch. 09:47 We went to get pizza. 09:49 He was telling me that he was 09:50 clean for, like, a month. 09:51 And this is someone I used with 09:53 and someone I trusted. 09:54 I remember telling him that, 09:56 "You'll see me there. 09:57 I'm coming," you know, 09:58 "I'm coming, I just gotta finish 09:59 doing what I'm doing here, but 10:00 I'm coming, I'm coming." 10:02 You know, I didn't fully believe 10:03 him, that he was clean. 10:05 Like, I was hearing it, but I 10:06 was so beaten up in addiction at 10:08 that point, I remember offering 10:10 him, you know, drugs, you know, 10:12 and he didn't want it and that 10:14 was powerful, you know, 10:15 that stuck with me. 10:16 that stuck with me. 10:16 I'd like to say that I went to 10:17 treatment that day or I went to 10:19 detox that day. 10:20 I didn't. 10:22 In the middle of that 10:23 time there... 10:23 time there... 10:25 ...I had my first real overdose. 10:27 [loud whoosh] 10:28 [train horn blaring] 10:30 It was around 2:30 in the 10:31 morning, just off of Hastings 10:34 in the industrial area. 10:36 I found a working girl. 10:37 I offered to get her high if she 10:39 would inject me, and she said 10:41 sure and she injected me, and I 10:43 overdosed. 10:44 [rapid heart beat] 10:46 By the grace of God, somehow I 10:48 had a cell phone, which I never 10:50 had really, homeless. 10:51 She didn't rob me, you know, 10:52 she didn't leave me. 10:54 And she used this phone that I 10:55 miraculously had and called 10:57 paramedics. 10:58 And I remember them bringing me 10:59 back and me thinking, like, I 11:01 just I wish I was back under, 11:03 you know, coming back to life 11:04 and all the stress and... 11:06 [sirens blaring] 11:08 That was definitely 11:10 powerful. 11:11 So that definitely I think... 11:14 ...scared me or woke me up 11:16 a bit. 11:18 I had no where I could go 11:19 really to. 11:20 I had burned through everyone 11:22 I knew. 11:23 No one was willing to offer 11:25 a helping hand. 11:26 No one really wanted to see me. 11:30 You know, I didn't have many 11:32 friends left, wasn't in 11:33 communication with my family. 11:36 And ultimately, I think I 11:37 realized that I was tired. 11:39 Really tired and realizing that 11:41 I think it's time that I tried 11:42 something different 11:43 and give recovery a shot. 11:49 >> Why are you running? 11:51 Maybe it's fear or pride 11:54 or lack of faith or arrogance 11:57 or bitterness, or an addiction 11:59 to chronic busyness, 12:02 or guilt, shame, 12:04 and remorse. 12:05 Maybe you can't stop beating 12:07 yourself up for something you 12:09 said or did, or something you 12:12 didn't do or didn't say. 12:14 >> We invite you to 12:16 think about your life. 12:18 Perhaps you need to stop running 12:20 away from something and start 12:21 running towards something 12:23 greater than yourself. 12:24 God can turn us around and point 12:27 us in the right direction, 12:28 like He did with Blair. 12:31 >> Looking back at my friend, 12:33 Dave, who told me he was at 12:35 treatment, told me he was clean. 12:37 And I remember him telling me 12:39 and he was staying at 12:40 Harbour Light, which is a 12:42 Salvation Army... 12:45 ...12-step based treatment 12:46 centre in the Downtown Eastside. 12:49 Shortly after that 12:52 overdose... 12:54 ...a few days or maybe a week 12:56 later, I found myself 12:59 being admitted to Harbour Light. 13:01 And, you know, I was tired and 13:04 150 pounds, very sick, 13:07 but I had a desire to 13:09 but I had a desire to 13:10 change my life. 13:11 [placid music] 13:14 ♪♪ 13:22 You know, there was many 13:23 suggestions that were given to 13:24 me as a newcomer to treatment. 13:28 One, that in the past, 13:30 I hadn't... 13:32 ...opened up to or I hadn't 13:34 been able to take the lead 13:36 was higher power. 13:36 was higher power. 13:38 You know, early on, I opened up 13:40 The Big Book of Alcoholics 13:42 Anonymous and throughout it 13:44 was the suggestion to 13:46 find a higher power. 13:48 Growing up I... 13:51 ...wasn't taught much about 13:52 God or religion 13:54 and I didn't really know how 13:57 that looked. 13:59 But I said then that I was 14:01 willing, you know, I was open 14:03 minded. 14:04 And more than anything, I was 14:06 gonna take all the suggestions. 14:07 And one of them was to find 14:09 higher power. 14:10 It started right there. 14:11 I just said I was open, 14:12 I was willing, and that was sort 14:15 of the end of that, you know? 14:18 You know, I went on with my 14:19 recovery and did a set of steps 14:21 and started going to some 14:23 fellowship on Sunday 14:26 at the Anchor Church across the 14:27 street from Harbour Light. 14:28 And that was the first time that 14:30 I connected, you know, to a 14:32 faith base, to a church and, you 14:34 know, I enjoyed the fellowship. 14:36 I didn't know much, 14:38 I didn't know it then, 14:39 that I think God was 14:41 sort of calling me. 14:42 But it was, you know, something 14:44 that I was open to. 14:45 [hopeful music] 14:47 ♪♪ 14:49 Looking back, remembering to the 14:51 early days at Harbour Light and, 14:54 you know, coming off the street 14:55 and not having to be anywhere at 14:58 any given time, it was 15:00 a bit of an adjustment. 15:01 You know, life in treatment, 15:02 you're going to group, 15:05 you're having a morning 15:07 reflections where there's a 15:08 small prayer and 15:10 some songs. 15:12 One of the big things I think 15:13 about Harbour Light and 15:14 Salvation Army is the food line. 15:16 You're almost instilling a bit 15:18 of a work ethic into the guys. 15:20 A lot of us coming off the 15:21 street haven't worked in a long 15:23 time, haven't been productive, 15:25 and now twice a day you're 15:27 serving homeless people meals 15:30 in the Downtown Eastside. 15:31 And there's an accountability 15:33 to that. 15:34 Everyone gets a job and you're 15:35 expected to be there on time 15:38 and, you know, it's not for you, 15:40 it's for others and 15:41 it's for others and 15:42 just giving us that routine, 15:44 you know, that stability. 15:46 [placid music] 15:48 I think back to my last year's 15:50 I think back to my last year's 15:51 homeless and I explain it to 15:53 people like it was like I was 15:54 on a race. 15:55 You know, in my mind, I was 15:56 running to drugs, but really, 15:58 I think I was running from life, 16:00 right, I was running from 16:02 me and from what I had to do. 16:04 And getting to Harbour Light 16:06 and having somewhere safe 16:09 where I had fellowship, 16:10 you know, I had friends who I 16:12 knew who were already there, who 16:14 were further along the journey 16:15 than I was. 16:16 They guided me. 16:18 They gave me support. 16:20 I think in the past I was 16:21 pulling─ I was pulled to 16:22 the wrong people, 16:24 wrong situations. 16:26 And for the first time I was 16:27 hanging out with the people 16:28 doing the right things. 16:30 I was hanging out with the 16:31 people who had more clean time 16:33 than me, who were further along, 16:36 and I just stuck close 16:37 with them. 16:39 [crow cawing] 16:40 And that year was... 16:42 ...was amazing. 16:44 I was in phase three at Harbour 16:45 I was in phase three at Harbour 16:46 Light and had the opportunity to 16:49 move to a second stage recovery 16:51 facility, also run by Salvation 16:54 Army, called Grace Mansion, 16:56 where I was able to get my first 16:58 set of keys in a little while. 17:00 I remember that feeling, 17:01 when you're homeless, you don't 17:02 have keys. 17:04 To have my own keys to my own 17:06 door was a good feeling 17:08 for sure. 17:09 [gentle guitar music] 17:10 >> Blair didn't know God was 17:13 there all along watching over 17:15 him, but He was. 17:18 >> Friends, God is patiently 17:20 waiting for you, too. 17:23 Your Saviour promises you 17:25 and He promises me... 17:31 Never. 17:33 He will never leave you. 17:35 He assures you today... 17:53 >> God is with you even 17:55 if He feels far from you. 17:58 Jesus promises you... 18:05 >> When your sky is 18:06 cold and lonely and your 18:09 heart is filled with fear, 18:11 Jesus promises, 18:14 "I will wrap My arms 18:15 around you. 18:17 I want you to know that 18:18 I am here. 18:20 I will keep you 18:21 safe and sound 18:23 through the darkness 18:25 that surrounds. 18:27 I will never leave you 18:29 nor forsake you. 18:32 Know that I am with you. 18:35 You will never 18:37 be alone." 18:38 [gentle guitar music] 18:39 >> I think it was the first time 18:41 in a while my life kind of 18:43 calmed down. 18:44 You know, I had a safe space 18:47 that was my own. 18:49 There wasn't a whole lot going 18:50 on then, you know, there wasn't 18:53 a lot of social calendar events, 18:55 there was no dating, there was 18:57 none of that. 18:58 Just a lot of 18:59 sort of quiet time. 19:01 I think in that space is where I 19:03 started to develop my connection 19:05 to higher power, where I started 19:07 to shift from higher power 19:09 to God. 19:10 And in that time, that's when I 19:12 started to pray. 19:13 I found that it gave me this 19:14 sense of calm, but it also gave 19:16 me this positive outlook. 19:18 From that prayer, 19:20 I found some hope 19:23 and some trust 19:24 and some belief. 19:26 You know, these were all things 19:27 that I didn't have any of, 19:28 that I didn't have any of, 19:29 right, trust was broken 19:30 entirely. 19:31 There was very little belief, 19:33 you know, especially in myself 19:34 or, you know, in the people 19:36 around me. 19:37 Those next few years where I 19:40 really developed that 19:41 connection to God, 19:42 that belief in something greater 19:44 than myself. 19:46 [uplifting music] 19:48 ♪♪ 19:49 As I started to... 19:53 ...pray for things and 19:54 these prayers were answered. 19:56 It really was an 19:58 "Aha!" moment for me. 19:59 Well, it confirmed 20:00 what I was doing, 20:02 confirmed the road I was on. 20:05 It definitely told me I was 20:07 where I was supposed to be. 20:09 And I had that belief. 20:11 You know, like with my job, it's 20:13 not, you know, there's always 20:15 people talking about more money 20:17 because they don't pay us much, 20:18 right, but I never had a desire 20:20 to leave, you know, because I 20:21 knew I was where I was supposed 20:23 to be. 20:24 You know, so all these 20:25 little things 20:26 that people just went out of the 20:28 way for me because I was where I 20:30 was supposed to be. 20:30 was supposed to be. 20:32 It was a very one-on-one 20:34 connection with God, 20:36 for me especially. 20:39 It wasn't observed around other 20:41 people, it wasn't something 20:43 that... 20:44 I wasn't going to church, but I 20:45 was praying every day. 20:46 [calm piano music] 20:48 As I started to grow in my 20:50 faith, I started to pray for 20:51 faith, I started to pray for 20:53 family members. 20:54 I started to pray for 20:56 my mom who was... 20:59 ...MIA for ten years in 21:01 addiction. 21:03 Here I am, a few years clean and 21:06 wanting that connection back. 21:08 Now it's something that's on my 21:09 mind and something that I'm 21:11 praying for and asking for help. 21:13 And a few years later, or a year 21:15 or two later, my mom ends up in 21:17 treatment and, you know, is back 21:20 in my life and there's 21:21 confirmation, you know, that God 21:23 is here, God is hearing me. 21:25 And that, yeah, that sense of 21:27 belief was was definitely there. 21:31 Also, just as you go through 21:34 life with work and putting 21:37 yourself out there for jobs, 21:39 for promotions... 21:42 ...for me, I guess it was just 21:43 learning how to live life, 21:44 right? 21:45 I gained employment with 21:47 Salvation Army 21:48 in around year 4 or 5 21:51 of my ourney in sobriety. 21:54 And in that process, I put 21:56 myself out there for supervisor 21:58 jobs, for outreach. 22:00 So I put myself out there 22:01 sort of to be judged. 22:03 And that's the first time in a 22:06 few years, and I remember being 22:07 triggered by that 22:09 and feeling insecure or 22:12 maybe feeling stress 22:14 about not knowing if 22:15 I'll get it or not. 22:16 And I had this really "Aha!" 22:18 moment with God where I decided 22:20 to pray and accept whatever 22:23 was gonna come my way. 22:25 Not try to control it and pray 22:27 for the promotion, but pray for 22:30 whatever comes my way. 22:32 You know, if I get it, then 22:34 okay, that's what's meant to be 22:35 and I'll be of service. 22:37 But if I don't get it, then it's 22:39 because this person is prepared 22:41 in a way that maybe I'm not 22:43 quite prepared or whatever. 22:45 But just having that trust 22:48 in God's plan that God will 22:50 provide what is... 22:52 It's not so much that I got 22:53 those jobs that I applied for, 22:55 you know, the successes came, 22:57 but it was learning how to trust 22:59 and learning how to navigate 23:01 stress, learning how to navigate 23:03 things that used to baffle me, 23:05 that used to lead to use, that 23:08 used to lead to running away. 23:10 And that's what laid the 23:12 groundwork for the next 23:14 few years, you know, I'm 23:16 by the grace of God, 23:18 I've been going now nine years. 23:19 I got sober in August of 2015. 23:22 You know, that journey to faith 23:24 has been a continual one. 23:26 It wasn't [snaps fingers] 23:28 just like that for me. 23:30 It started with me having to 23:32 take suggestions, 23:34 find higher power. 23:35 I'm willing, I'll─ 23:37 I'm open to that. 23:38 And then some prayer. 23:39 You know, meditation and prayer 23:41 was suggested in The Big Book. 23:42 And so I did some of that. 23:45 And I was doing it at first 23:47 because I was told to, 23:48 because I was suggested to. 23:50 Ultimately in there I found my 23:52 own connection to God though, 23:54 you know, and that's what kept 23:56 me coming back for more, right, 23:58 was my own connection. 24:00 >> When Blair's prayers were 24:02 answered, it was the deeply 24:04 profound moment that confirmed 24:07 he was on the right road. 24:09 He knew he was where 24:11 he should be, exactly where God 24:13 wanted him. 24:14 >> Blair came to the place 24:16 where he felt needed 24:17 and not needy. 24:19 And that's how he continued 24:21 to walk with God 24:23 in that one-on-one connection 24:25 between himself and God, 24:27 living to serve others. 24:30 >> And, I mean, as gut wrenching 24:33 as it was, putting my dad 24:35 through what I put him through 24:37 in addiction, I mean, him having 24:39 to kick his only child out, out 24:41 of the house and I know how 24:43 difficult that was for him. 24:44 Our journey has come 24:45 full circle. 24:46 I remember him telling me, "Son, 24:48 if you'll fight for your life, 24:49 I'll fight with you," you know? 24:51 And I wasn't willing to that 24:53 day, when he got in his car 24:54 and went to work, but years 24:56 later, I started to fight, 24:57 you know, and he's been there 24:59 with me every step of the way. 25:01 I mean, now he's my best friend. 25:03 In the book, Big Book, they had 25:05 the promises, right, or I like 25:07 to say, like, gifts of recovery. 25:09 Over the last nine years, 25:11 I got a dog 25:13 who I've kept alive for 25:15 seven years, you know, 25:16 who's been with me, you know, 25:18 it's such a blessing, right? 25:21 I have a good connection 25:22 with my family... 25:25 ...connected with friends from 25:27 my youth, and... 25:29 ...made lots of new 25:30 friends and new connections, 25:32 and I got my license at 25:34 38 years old. 25:35 You know, I've had different 25:36 promotions and different roles 25:38 within my job and failures, 25:41 successes, relationships lost, 25:44 you know, the ups and downs, 25:46 right? 25:47 With God in my heart, you know, 25:49 today, I know I can overcome 25:51 those ups and downs. 25:54 And they're smaller now. 25:55 It's much more steady, 25:57 you know, but... 25:59 ...I think now looking forward, 26:01 you know, keeping God close to 26:04 me and knowing that, you know, 26:05 I'm with God and... 26:07 ...anything is possible. 26:09 If you just keep showing up, 26:11 do the right thing and 26:13 have an open mind, life is, 26:15 life is great. 26:16 [placid music] 26:19 ♪♪ 26:23 >> Friends, it all begins 26:24 with freedom of choice, 26:26 a most precious gift that God 26:28 has entrusted to you. 26:31 Unfortunately, our poor choices 26:34 often lead to destructive habits 26:37 that enslave us, damage our 26:39 relationships, our health, 26:42 and ruin our lives. 26:45 >> Friends, our free offer for 26:47 you is a special Steps to Christ 26:49 Recovery Edition. 26:50 This powerful book includes a 26:52 12-step recovery program, 26:54 empowering you to overcome 26:56 harmful habits and addictions. 26:58 Above all, you will come to know 27:00 Jesus Christ, the only one who 27:02 can heal and restore, strengthen 27:05 and encourage, as well as bring 27:07 hope, balance, and meaning 27:09 to your life. 27:11 >> We would like to offer to 27:12 pray for you. 27:14 If you would like to send us 27:15 your personal prayer request, 27:18 the information for how to 27:20 contact us is on the screen. 27:22 Tell us your request and we will 27:24 put you on our prayer lists 27:26 and pray for you personally. 27:29 >> Before you go, we would like 27:31 to thank all of you who have 27:33 supported the ministry of It Is 27:35 Written Canada with your prayers 27:36 and financial contributions. 27:38 Without your support, this 27:40 television ministry could not 27:42 have reached so many people 27:44 for so many decades. 27:46 >> Yes, thank you. 27:48 And we would like to invite you 27:50 to follow us on Instagram and 27:52 Facebook and subscribe to our 27:54 YouTube channel, and also listen 27:57 to our podcasts. 27:59 And if you go to our website, 28:01 you can see our latest programs. 28:04 >> Friends, Jesus is offering 28:06 you a life that is beyond our 28:09 ongoing struggles with 28:11 the pain, suffering, and sorrows 28:13 of this life. 28:15 We would like to recommend that 28:17 you open the Bible where it is 28:19 recorded that Jesus Himself 28:21 found his assurance to defeat 28:23 the Devil through the word of 28:25 His Father when He declared... 28:35 [uplifting music] 28:38 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-11-28