Participants: Danny Shelton (Host), Yvonne Lewis (Host), C. A. & Irma Murray
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY016009A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:39 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people. 01:06 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:08 Thank you for joining us today as you do each and every day. 01:11 I'm here with Dr Yvonne Lewis. 01:12 We've already been having fun before we went on air. 01:15 I know, I love it. 01:16 And we've been having fun 01:17 because we're here with friends, right? 01:19 We're here with people we love. 01:20 Brothers and sisters, and now we've just added you. 01:22 So we'll have fun together. 01:23 But we have some special guests today. 01:25 Do you know all these folk, Yvonne? 01:26 I do. Why don't you introduce them? 01:28 I am privileged to know Pastor C.A. Murray 01:31 and his lovely wife Irma Murray. 01:33 Okay. 01:35 They've been my friends for years and years. 01:37 You know many, many years, I don't know, 01:39 where you get to a point with women, 01:41 it's tough to know when to say, 01:42 well, how many years this or that, 01:44 they get little uptight, you ever noticed that C.A? 01:46 Very much so. 01:48 And so I won't ask Yvonne, but how many years 01:50 have you and Yvonne been known each other now? 01:53 Thirty plus. Thirty plus, thirty some years. 01:58 Yeah, we were children. A long time. 02:01 And we'll get into the story a little bit more here, 02:03 a little bit later on, 02:04 but today we have Irma and C.A. on for a reason. 02:07 Yvonne and I have been interviewing 02:09 a number of our 3ABN coworkers 02:12 to kind of get their behind the scene story. 02:15 As I say, let their hair down, that doesn't work with C.A. 02:18 And I don't have a lot of that down, 02:19 but that's just a phrase. 02:21 It doesn't, don't take it literal, 02:23 but we let our hair down and just, in fact maybe learn, 02:26 our goal is to learn something about C.A. and Irma. 02:30 Those of you watched him for years 02:32 that you didn't already know. 02:33 Now Irma of course is with Latino. 02:36 She works with Latino. 02:37 And C.A., he's worn a number of hats 02:40 since he's been here. 02:41 Right now as far as I know he is the boss, 02:42 what do you think? 02:44 Oh yeah. He's the boss. 02:45 We pretty well do what you say. 02:47 What are some of your-- 02:48 Of course you're general manager of Proclaim. 02:50 But you've been over programming 02:52 for many years, you do lives, 02:54 you do all the remote stuff on road to GC sessions, 02:58 ASI as you produce some and oversee, all of that, 03:01 you preach, you sing, what else he do? 03:05 Have you written any books yet? He host, he host. 03:07 I've written four. 03:09 He's written four books already. 03:10 Four books, he hosts. 03:11 He hosts programs 03:13 and does he sweep the floor sometimes. 03:15 I haven't seen him do that. I've seen him do that. 03:18 He's not about doing that. 03:19 I've seen him do that in basketball 03:20 with some of the younger players, 03:22 he sweeps the floor when we go. 03:23 Sometimes I sweep with my face. 03:25 Oh, that kind of sweeping the floor. 03:27 Yeah, that kind of sweep for us, 03:28 that's a little bit different. 03:30 But, Irma, how long you've been working with the Latino? 03:34 Oh, 10 years now, going on 11, yes. 03:38 Not going to ask you if you like it, 03:39 because I see you're smiling. 03:41 You wouldn't be anywhere ten years 03:42 if you didn't enjoy, right? 03:44 I have enjoyed. And seen it. 03:45 I definitely, I've been blessed to. 03:48 You've seen a lot of growth in Latino, right? 03:51 Yes, absolutely. 03:52 She brings me contracts, I mean often. 03:54 I wish we were doing that in English. 03:56 In other parts of the world like we're doing Latino, 04:00 she brings these cable contracts C.A. 04:02 And I like I enjoy. 04:04 She'll say, "Can I come," I say, "Come in, 04:05 come in, come in, let's sign these things." 04:07 Because we've more people listening, watching 3ABN. 04:11 That's really what it's all about. 04:13 So today, it's kind of a fun program 04:15 but we're going to be interviewing our own folks, 04:18 brothers and sisters in the Lord. 04:19 We're going to try to find out some things about them 04:22 that maybe you don't already know 04:24 and that's always fun. 04:26 And I'm sure, it will be a good stuff, 04:27 because I'm sure there is nothing bad ever happen 04:29 to either one of you in your lives and everything, 04:31 and make no mistakes everything has been well. 04:35 Honking door forever. Yeah. 04:36 Okay, Give me some time to show off right now. 04:40 Well, when we think about that, we have some special music. 04:43 You know who is doing our special music? 04:44 I do, Jaime Jorge. 04:46 Incredible, isn't he? The gift God has given him. 04:49 Anointed, he really is and he's going to play 04:51 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms'. 07:59 Amen. You mean Jorge. I cannot play like that. 08:01 Well, I can tell you why? Why? 08:03 You haven't spent 35 years 08:06 playing the violin probably, right? 08:08 Absolutely not. 08:09 And hour after hour, day after day, 08:12 month after month, year after year 08:13 and that's what you get. 08:15 That's true. 08:16 God gives us each talents, and gifts, and abilities. 08:19 In whatever we hone in on, 08:21 it seems like that's what he blesses 08:23 and so the more we do something 08:24 but now, Jaime can't sing like you either. 08:27 Well, praise the Lord. 08:28 And, you know, and I'm sure he hasn't sang nearly 08:31 as much as you have. 08:33 But all of us, you know, 08:34 some of us sing better than others. 08:37 And I put myself in the others, not the better than. 08:40 But you have spent many, many years in music. 08:45 And so God blesses that, doesn't He? 08:46 He does. 08:47 Even when you were in the world, 08:49 God still blessed your gift, 08:51 because you kept using your gift. 08:53 God is good. 08:54 And now you get back, come back to the Lord. 08:57 And there's nothing like it. It doesn't compare. 08:59 Okay. All right. 09:01 We want to talk about, 09:02 Let's start a little bit of things 09:03 that people may already know. 09:05 But C.A had something to do with your coming back 09:07 to joining the Adventist church, 09:10 tell us about it? 09:11 Well my grandmother was-- 09:14 had been, she was retired when I went to her church, 09:17 but she had been the Bible instructor there 09:20 at the Ephesus Church, 09:22 and she said "We're getting a new pastor." 09:26 And I've been out of the church for about 12, 13years. 09:31 And, but I didn't consider-- 09:32 I always consider myself still an Adventist, 09:35 I never-- 09:36 I just wasn't going to church, 09:37 but I was delusional, but anyway. 09:39 So that was a little delusional. 09:41 But-- 09:43 So I said, okay, let me just go and check it out. 09:47 And I went and Pastor C.A was the new pastor. 09:52 And from that Sabbath on, I was in church every Sabbath. 09:57 The Lord used him to bring me back to him. 09:59 And, so he became my spiritual mentor. 10:03 And I'm so grateful for his friendship 10:07 and his mentorship over the years and it's been-- 10:09 I was pregnant with Jason 10:11 when and Jason will be 30 on his birthday. 10:15 Yeah so, I was praying with Jason 10:17 when I got baptized by Pastor Murray. 10:20 So that... 10:22 it shows and I even, and we'll get to that later 10:24 but I was even with Pastor Murray 10:27 the day he met Irma. 10:28 Oh, really. So we got to talk about that. 10:30 We can't go way back. We're gonna go there. 10:33 We're gonna learn a lot of stuff about C.A. 10:35 Yes. 10:36 One of the things that I want him to tell about 10:38 that he's probably never told on TV 10:40 or he might that I found out about him 10:43 and probably the audience doesn't know. 10:45 Well, C.A, he can sleep like... 10:47 he can go to sleep, we were on an airplane 10:49 and like Yvonne, they don't... 10:51 I mean you hardly get off the runway 10:52 and they can sleep. 10:54 And I mean they like to sleep, 10:56 but you don't sleep when you're ministering, right? 10:58 You don't set up front in the chair 11:01 get ready to preach and go to sleep. 11:03 But I think we've got a story. 11:05 C.A, you feel like confessing, tell us what happened 11:08 when you were supposed to be preaching 11:09 at what church, big church? 11:11 Holloway Church in London. 11:12 Oh, the Holloway Church. Tell us what happened there? 11:15 I flew over to do a short series 11:19 and I've learned since you don't fly on the day 11:22 you're going to preach. 11:23 So we took off and flew all night. 11:29 Got to London 11 o'clock or so in the morning. 11:31 And I didn't feel sleepy, so I'm up. 11:34 You know, when you're up and you're up and you're up 11:36 and somebody say take a nap, take a nap, take a nap. 11:38 Well, I'm fine. 11:39 Then you eat this big meal, 11:41 you know just before you go to church. 11:44 They take you to someone's house 11:45 and they load you down with food, heavy food. 11:47 Then at 7 o'clock it's time to preach. 11:49 So I'm sitting on the pulpit, and there's music, 11:53 and then a scripture then. 11:55 So I hear the music, 11:56 and then the person is introducing the speaker. 11:58 And I hear them introducing me, 12:01 but I'm leaving the building, you know, I'm heading out. 12:05 And you can hear him talking about you, 12:07 you know, but I couldn't reverse it. 12:08 You know, stomach full of food, it's warm, you know. 12:11 And I'm just sliding south. You're the keynote speaker. 12:13 Yeah, I'm the keynote speaker, 12:15 and he said, "All the way from United States." 12:17 And I was gone. I was gone. 12:20 Now I woke up and I did 35 minutes. 12:22 To this day I have no idea what I said. 12:24 You know, I don't know, but I couldn't reverse it, 12:26 it just caught me. 12:27 And there was nothing I could do to stop it. 12:29 You know, today they said, you know, you're on, you know. 12:33 Well, I got up and I preached, but it was-- 12:34 I've known now. 12:36 On the day you're gonna minister, 12:37 don't fly across the ocean on that day, 12:40 give yourself one day, at least one day 12:41 to sort of let your body get adjusted. 12:43 The same thing happened to me in London. 12:46 Oh, praise the Lord, I feel so good. 12:49 I'm so happy. Yeah. In London, in the '90s. 12:52 And I think, I was at Brixton, 12:55 and I was the musical evangelist 12:58 for one pastor there. 13:01 Well, he was actually from the States. 13:03 And I flew in on that Sabbath. 13:06 And I got there and I was okay for a little bit 13:10 but that sitting. 13:11 When you're just sitting there and you've been. 13:14 And all the adrenalin now has just kind of calm down. 13:18 And I found myself like, just like really knocked out, 13:21 so that was, yeah, so never fly on the day of-- 13:25 Yeah. It's a good lesson. 13:26 I'm going to talk to the white people 13:27 for just a moment. 13:29 Oh my goodness. I can't believe it. 13:31 Because when you go to back church, 13:33 I don't care if it's London, 13:34 I don't care if it's here in America. 13:36 White people, we get out at noon. 13:38 Usually the churches are noon. 13:39 Now, John, he takes you to 12:30, 1 o'clock, right? 13:42 So you get a white person going to a church 13:46 that don't even start till 1 o'clock, 13:48 they're gonna fall asleep. 13:50 They're either going to be hungry, fall asleep, 13:52 because they don't enjoy that setting 13:54 and praising the Lord and all of that. 13:56 But there's no excuse for you guys to fall asleep 13:59 because you're used to that. 14:00 You're used to long services, 14:02 and good music, and all of that. 14:03 Oh, my goodness. 14:05 And if you've gotten some sleep? Yeah. 14:06 Yeah, if you've gotten some sleep. 14:07 But if you haven't, it's not gonna-- 14:10 When I was at Ephesus, if I preached... 14:12 Well, first of all getting out at 12 14:14 meant no sermon, because I didn't get up till 12. 14:17 Till 12, that's right. 14:18 But, if I preach a 15, 20, and even 30 minute sermon. 14:21 They will say, "Pastor, you're not feeling so good today, 14:23 you know, did you have a bad Sabbath?" 14:25 Because they're expecting a little more, 14:26 but that's just the different worship experiences. 14:28 It's a cultural thing 14:29 and people tend to stay in church, 14:33 in black churches a little bit longer. 14:34 Oh, it's wonderful over there. I get up. 14:37 When I do the black churches like London. 14:39 And I get up to preach. 14:40 And I'll say, "I'm going to tell you something 14:43 I never get to say at a white church, 14:45 "Good afternoon," 14:47 because you never get up to preach after 12 o'clock 14:51 in a white church that I've been to. 14:53 But it might be 1 o'clock, but you know what, 14:55 nobody's in a hurry. 14:56 And I like that because we start thinking about 14:58 what's heaven going to be like. 15:00 We're going to get tired of it, we will say, 15:01 "Well, Jesus, you know, we have-- 15:03 It's kind of been a long day, we're gonna go rest. 15:05 But these folk come to worship the Lord. 15:08 They come to have a good time. People get up and they sing. 15:12 Maybe throw somebody else in that they hadn't thought, 15:14 hey maybe brother so-and-so. 15:15 Let's sing an extra song, the preacher is on fire, 15:18 just keep going. 15:19 And people stay and people worship. 15:21 And I like it so I have to tell you, 15:23 I'm making confessions good for. 15:25 So I love going to the churches 15:27 where there the people are serious 15:28 about worshipping the Lord rather than to go 15:31 and let start exactly at 9 a.m. or whatever 9:30. 15:34 Now we started at 11 you've got. 15:36 I've had people say you have 32 minutes to preach, 15:39 31 I mean, why 32? 15:41 It's like, you know, sometimes like these flights 15:44 you can go halfway around the world 15:45 and they say 14 hours and 59 minutes. 15:48 Now why didn't they say 15, 15:49 'cause you know it's not going to be that 15:51 well, that's some way these churches. 15:53 I was in a big church 15:54 and they gave the person in front of me 15:57 that was speaking. 16:00 Just I don't know what he was telling, 16:01 a little mission story. 16:03 They gave him two minutes and thirty seconds 16:04 and put, put it on a clock on the pulpit, 16:07 so he could see it. 16:08 And I didn't know it, but I was standing in the back, 16:10 it's a huge church, everybody would know who it is. 16:13 And I was standing and ready to go in 16:15 and I saw this red light blinking. 16:17 And I said, oh, oh, that guy whoever it is, 16:19 there must be some emergency, I'm thinking there's fire, 16:22 there's something going on, this red lights blinking. 16:25 So I've got somebody and elder, I said, 16:27 "What's going on, there's a red light?" 16:29 He said, "Oh, two minutes and thirty seconds, 16:31 he went ten seconds over." 16:32 So we, they put a red light on it. 16:34 Oh, my self. 16:35 So now back to the services, well, I'm blessed 16:37 when I go to churches 16:39 and we can just have a good time in the Lord. 16:40 And go home when the service is over. 16:43 I was a preacher at a church on the jersey shore. 16:45 Predominately white church, still not exclusively. 16:47 And they invited me back so I figured that, 16:49 they like what we were doing and I would tell them, 16:51 when they got me up about 10 minutes to 12. 16:53 I said, "Now I want you to know the Lord answers prayer. 16:56 I want you to know that." 16:57 Because there may be some of you who are praying 17:00 to get out at 12 o'clock. 17:03 I need to tell you that on this Sabbath, 17:05 that prayer will not be answered. 17:08 God answered that prayer today, 17:10 so you give me a quarter to 12, I'll pray for 12 o'clock, 17:13 because the Lord is like, "No." 17:17 So we kind of took our time. All right. 17:19 But God is good. 17:20 So C.A has got lots of stories, some he probably won't tell, 17:23 but a lot of things has happened 17:24 when you're in ministry that long in the cities 17:28 and you have big churches. 17:29 But when you look back, you've got fond memories. 17:31 Oh, yeah. Of all that you did. 17:33 Now tell us a little, you and Yvonne, 17:35 do you know anything about C.A that you could tell 17:38 that maybe he hasn't told that people don't know. 17:41 We talk about he led you to the Lord, but did he-- 17:44 Let me ask you about singing, did he sing back then, 17:47 did you ever hear him sing? 17:48 You know, not really. 17:49 I didn't really hear you sing until here, 17:52 until I came here. 17:53 So why? I sang occasionally. 17:55 But not much. Yeah. After sermons probably. 17:57 But she won't know that you weren't known to sing. 17:59 I sang after-- 18:00 well, when after you preached, then, you know, 18:02 the congregation might move you, nice move, 18:04 you kind of get up and if you don't hit every note, 18:06 nobody cares, because they're feeling the spirit, 18:08 you know, that kind of thing, but I sang. 18:10 I didn't hear you sing a lot though. 18:11 I mean it wasn't like here where I say, 18:13 here you sing on a regular basis. 18:15 But there-- Not as much as here. 18:16 You know. Not as much as here. 18:18 Is there reason for that? Not really, none. 18:21 I had one or two songs that I sang-- 18:23 You knew you could sing, you just didn't push it. 18:25 Yeah, we did a lot of singing at Oakwood, I sang in groups, 18:28 always sang in choirs, choirs and groups at Oakwood. 18:32 More group singing than solo stuff. 18:34 I didn't really do a lot of solo stuff till I got here. 18:37 Okay. And you sort of needled me. 18:39 Let's go back now. Okay. We're glad we did that. 18:42 Let's go back, find out where was C.A Murray born. 18:45 Where were you raised, what area? 18:47 Born in Buffalo, New York. 18:48 Joined the church at age-- 18:50 I got baptized at age 10. Ten? 18:52 Tell you quick story. 18:53 We lived next door to some people, some kids. 18:55 We play with them six days a week. 18:57 On Saturday, we'd see everybody get dressed, 18:59 get in his car and disappear for the whole day. 19:01 And you know you're seven, eight, nine, 19:03 you just kind of file that, 19:05 we couldn't play with them on Saturday. 19:06 We couldn't come in the yard and play with them on Saturday. 19:08 So we moved to another part of town. 19:11 Moved right across the street 19:12 from, some people did the exact same weird activity. 19:14 On Saturday morning, everybody jumped in the car 19:16 and disappear, you know, just disappear. 19:18 So I asked the fellow, 19:20 the young boy who was of my age, 19:21 his sister was my sister's age. 19:23 "Where do you guys go, 19:25 when you disappear on Saturday?" 19:26 You know, and they say, "We go to Sabbath school." 19:27 Right, it meant nothing to me. 19:29 So we became friends, and one day 19:30 they take me to Sabbath school. 19:32 And so I went and it was fun, 19:35 we had a nice beautiful young teacher there, 19:37 her name was Susan Mildred Willis 19:38 then, became Mildred Gill. 19:41 And when you got your lesson right, 19:42 she would stroke your cheek 19:44 and say "Oh, that is so nice," you know. 19:46 And I saw this, just touching that, 19:47 you know, she would just like "Oh, you studied your lesson." 19:50 I say you're next, you come and getting a stroke, you know. 19:52 So I was waiting for a question and answer she says, 19:56 "Oh, very good you did a nice job." 19:58 And I say, "I like that." You know. 20:00 So I studied my lesson every week. 20:02 And, then one day, I just saw myself, 20:06 the pastor made a call, 20:07 so I'm myself walking to the front, 20:08 I think I was ten. I just turned ten. 20:10 And my mother said, "Well, we're not doing that, 20:12 we're AME. 20:14 But if you want to do that fine, 20:15 and we won't stop you. 20:17 So every Sabbath, I went to church with this family 20:18 across the street 20:20 and that's how we sort of got started. 20:22 Okay, so your parents obviously, 20:24 were they Christians, they weren't Adventist. 20:25 They were Christians, well, they were holiday Methodist. 20:28 You know. 20:30 Easter, Christmas, half day on Thanksgiving kind of thing, 20:34 live church, and my dad was kind of 20:36 old robots on Sunday morning. 20:37 You know that was enough for him. 20:39 But I baptized my mom, baptized my dad 20:43 one month before he had a heart attack and died. 20:46 And then my sister joined the church too. 20:47 So I kind of led that whole, you know, Exodus 20:51 into the Seventh-day Adventist church. 20:53 Wow. 20:54 What was it like being the only one in your family 20:58 that was Adventist? 21:01 They were supportive, 21:02 but they weren't going to make any changes for me. 21:04 My mother said if that's what you want to do, 21:06 we will support you. 21:07 My family were great football people, 21:09 so I'd come home in the fall. 21:10 My sister watching television in her bedroom with her own TV. 21:14 My dad watching television in the living room 21:16 and my mother watching another TV, 21:17 because they couldn't watch together. 21:19 Because my mother wanted it totally quiet. 21:21 And my sister screamed at the TV. 21:23 She was screaming, throw stuff at the television. 21:25 And my dad just couldn't take that 21:26 so I had to wade my way 21:28 past three television sets to go to my bedroom, 21:30 basically lock myself in on Sabbath kind of thing. 21:32 And I envy people who would have Sabbath dinner. 21:34 And you know come home 21:36 and have a whole Sabbath atmosphere, 21:37 because I didn't have that. 21:38 They didn't fight against me 21:40 but they didn't make any particular provisions for me. 21:42 You know, if you want to do this, we're fine. 21:44 What I didn't know 21:46 is that they were watching my behavior, 21:47 you know, over the years watching my behavior, 21:49 watching my behavior. 21:50 And I did a week of prayer. 21:52 And it was funny because I was in a ministry, 21:54 did a week of prayer. 21:56 And I wanted my mother to join the church. 21:59 And I knew she was ready to go. But she was resisting the Lord. 22:02 So I did an appeal for 35 minutes. 22:05 I said, "You're getting out of that chair tonight 22:08 and I feel bad for the rest of congregation, said, 22:09 she's getting up tonight after 35 minutes, 22:12 because she's crying and you know, 22:13 rocking and crying, and rocking and crying... 22:15 I know she's ready to go. 22:16 You know, I said, I'm gonna-- 22:17 I took her to the cross. 22:19 I took her to hell, I did everything I could, 22:22 and finally she stood up. 22:23 I said, thank God. 22:24 Let stand up for a benediction. All right. 22:26 And when she joined the church, it was the greatest thing. 22:28 She loved up until she passed. 22:30 She loved being a Seventh-day Adventist, 22:32 she loved it. 22:33 But I knew she was ready. 22:35 But the Lord just had to kind of work on her, 22:37 so I apologized for the congregation, 22:39 35 minute appeal. 22:40 That's almost another sermon, 22:42 but I said she's joining the church tonight. 22:43 And she did. 22:44 That's exactly the kind of stuff we want to find out, 22:46 right? 22:47 That we don't know exactly. Now you went to college. 22:50 I heard you played a little hoop, 22:51 did you? 22:52 Went on the basketball scholarship, 22:54 and you know it's funny when you know to do right. 22:56 To him that knows to do it right 22:58 and do it right even his present abomination. 23:02 Broke my ankle, left ankle, same ankle, 23:04 same break two years in a row, both on Friday night. 23:07 Hard headed, you know, and the pastor told me, 23:08 said C.A, "You know better. 23:10 The Lord will let you break your ankle, 23:11 keep you from breaking your neck. 23:13 But the first time I broke it, I didn't know it. 23:15 I got to go back into the game and I fell over. 23:17 And I knew it was broken, the second I heard a snap, 23:19 I knew it was the same break, and the doctor said, 23:21 it's very unusual to get the same break 23:23 you know the x rays formally said, 23:25 that's almost the same break. 23:26 Very unusual because usually it heals, 23:28 you get little extra calcium there. 23:29 He said, that's the exact same break. 23:30 And I said, that was the Lord. 23:33 Next time it's going to be your neck. 23:34 So I got the message, I heard him. 23:36 And I transferred from my scholarship 23:38 to Oakwood and graduated from Oakwood College. 23:40 Okay. Yeah. 23:42 When did you decide you wanted to be a minister? 23:44 By the age of 11. 23:46 Really? Wow. Yeah. 23:47 I always knew, 23:49 we had a little birdie fall out of the nest. 23:50 And all of our friends, 23:52 we got together had a little funeral for him. 23:54 You know and I did the eulogy. Okay. 23:56 We got little piano, you know, we had a little drum. 23:58 And it was a little 12 key pianos, 24:01 and we all had, you know, we dug, we got a cigar box 24:04 and dug just a little grave for the little birdie 24:06 and we had this long up. 24:07 Got my Bible out and had little eulogy 24:09 for the little bird, you know, that kind of thing. 24:10 And from then on, it always occurred to me. 24:12 Yeah. 24:13 Yeah, that's kind of what I want to do. 24:15 It was the basketball thing gotten away 24:16 and free education. 24:18 You know, Satan can put all this kind of stuff 24:19 in front of you. 24:20 Sure. So we got kind of sidetracked. 24:23 But we got back on track and the Lord helped us out. 24:25 What do you think has been the biggest challenge 24:28 that you faced in ministry that you can share? 24:31 Oh, my soul. Please don't use my name. 24:36 Okay, so the second biggest challenge. 24:38 Yeah, the second bigggest challenge. 24:39 Second biggest. 24:42 I think the biggest challenge for any pastor 24:46 is not getting so caught up in doing the work of the Lord 24:50 that you forget about your relationship with the Lord. 24:52 It's very easy for anyone who is involved in ministry 24:56 to substitute doing God stuff, for doing God. 25:02 And you can get involved in the stuff of God, 25:04 the trappings, the accoutrements 25:06 and forget about your relationship. 25:07 And that has always been picking, 25:09 I've got to Ephesus, you got 2000 members. 25:11 You got two days 25:13 when you're just visiting sick people, you know. 25:14 Then you've got prayer meeting, 25:16 then you've got sermon for over, then you got Sabbath, 25:17 then you got all day Sunday in meetings. 25:19 And you can get so up 25:21 on that treadmill that you forget about, 25:22 you need some one on one time with you and the Lord. 25:24 And that's the challenge, and it's a challenge here too 25:27 because 3ABN can envelop you. 25:28 And you've got to take some time 25:30 for a personal development. 25:31 I think anybody who is in ministry 25:33 needs to separate the work of the Lord 25:35 from personal relationship with the Lord. 25:37 And if you don't have the relationship, 25:38 the work is actually going to suffer 25:40 because you're not in right relationship with the Lord. 25:42 It's good. You get out at Oakwood. 25:44 You're looking, you're ready for ministry, you graduated. 25:47 Where is your first church? 25:50 A couple of weeks at Stanford, Connecticut and then Bethel. 25:54 That's where I met Loamy. In Bethel, isn't it? 25:56 In Brooklyn, Bethel in Brooklyn New York. 25:59 Membership at that time was about 1200. 26:01 And met John Lomacang, Pastor John Nixon, 26:05 the Nixon family. 26:06 You were young then. That's a big church. 26:08 Yeah, it's a big church. 26:10 I was associate pastor, and then the senior pastor left 26:13 and they let me pastor it by myself for a long time 26:15 until the senior pastor came, but I was thirty, 26:18 no, no, I was 24. 26:20 Yeah. Yeah, yeah, 24. 26:22 And we had a basketball team and all these guys around, 26:24 Lomacang and all these guys. 26:26 And I kept them in church 26:27 because I realize although they all had night life. 26:29 You know these guys are out running on the streets. 26:31 Even Pastor John? Y'all please. 26:34 John used to put party favors. 26:36 The announcements for the new, 26:38 for the parties inside the church bulletins. 26:40 I just found out a couple of weeks ago. 26:42 Saturday night parties. 26:43 Yeah, he was to held Saturday night parties. 26:45 He'd stick them in the church bulletin, 26:46 so all... 26:47 And I knew those guys were doing stuff. 26:49 Well, my thing was, if I can keep them coming, 26:50 if I can keep them close to the Lord. 26:53 Maybe the Lord can grab a hold of them, 26:54 so we said if you don't show up in church in the morning, 26:57 you can't play on the basketball team 26:59 Saturday night. 27:00 And that was enough to get them in that building. 27:03 And then I gave, I made them deacons. 27:05 And I knew they weren't deacon material, you know. 27:08 But I needed them to be in the building. 27:10 And they were in the building, 27:11 and most of those guys are in ministry or teaching 27:15 or doing something for the Lord now 27:17 because I felt, they just had to be near the Lord. 27:20 One of the gifts that God has given you 27:22 is the ability to kind of assess where people are 27:27 and then meet them there. 27:29 And that, and to help to guide as you're just coming back 27:35 or if you're out in the world like, you're very, 27:38 God has given you that gift and it's a wonderful gift. 27:41 Praise the Lord. Really is. 27:42 God bless. Praise the Lord. Yeah. 27:44 He has numerous gifts 27:46 and he keeps developing them over the years. 27:49 So, you're pastor 27:51 and you're pastor for a number of years, 27:53 then Yvonne said something I caught on my ear 27:57 early in the program. 27:58 She said in fact, 27:59 "I was with C.A when he met Irma." 28:01 So I think now it may be the time, 28:03 then we can bring Irma in on this. 28:05 Good. May be you tell us that story. 28:07 Well we were in Kingston I think. 28:14 Ellenville. 28:15 Was it Ellenville, 'cause the Martells... 28:18 That's all New York. In New York. 28:19 For those of us-- 28:21 I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We don't know. 28:22 Upstate New York. It's New York. It's New York. 28:24 About 100 miles north of New York City. 28:26 Yeah, 'cause they had the Kingston Church 28:28 and they had Ellenville Church. 28:30 It was a district. The Martells. 28:31 And so Pastor Martell, who is a dear friend of ours 28:37 and, so he invited Pastor C.A to come and speak. 28:42 And that was it. 28:44 And I don't even know how-- 28:46 While I lived out that way anyway. 28:47 So I want to support you and them 28:50 and to hear you speak and everything. 28:52 And there was a lovely young lady there. 28:56 And I remember Pastor C.A 28:58 saying "Who is that?" 29:03 You know, it happened, 29:04 it was the first night of an evangelistic crusade. 29:07 So we were all there to kind of support. 29:09 And she doesn't admit this but we were all sitting there 29:12 and this little Honda comes flying by 29:14 with this cloud of dust, you know. 29:17 She's running a little late. 29:18 And I said, first I said, "Who is that?" 29:21 You know, there's cloud of dust, 29:22 you know, when she got out, I said, "Who is that?" 29:25 Kind of thing. In changed tone. 29:27 I've got a picture, 29:29 I think they've got the very first picture. 29:31 I had my long lens camera, and during prayer, 29:34 I shot that picture-- 29:35 During prayer? 29:37 All the way across the street, I got to put the word. 29:38 This is true confession. 29:40 During prayer, I said, I train my camera over there 29:42 and I took that picture. 29:44 I said, "I don't know if I'm gonna see her again." 29:46 But good night, 29:48 and so I said let me take this picture during prayer. 29:50 And I've got that picture up, that picture is... 29:52 that was 1993. 29:53 And your kids listening, don't listen to that. 29:56 Yeah, don't listen to that part. 29:57 You didn't hear, don't look up now... 29:59 Just took a picture of her. Okay, so you got that. 30:02 So how, tell us about how-- 30:04 What did you say, your perspective how did they? 30:07 Well, I think, it just began to blossom. 30:10 I think you asked a few questions about her 30:13 and found out about her from the Martells, 30:15 because the Martells knew Irma. 30:18 And they knew what a lovely person she was 30:20 and so they were encouraging, this I believe-- 30:24 You didn't talk that first time 30:25 when you were taking her picture, 30:26 when you were stalking her. 30:28 That night we talked till midnight. 30:29 What happened was-- 30:31 When he was stalking her-- When you were stalking her-- 30:34 Now, you know, taking pictures of her-- 30:37 May be that's a little stretch. 30:39 Yeah, that's a little stretch right there. 30:40 You know, a long telescope. Okay. 30:41 What had happen, Kevin had gone to AC, 30:44 and had gotten himself into a little trouble with AC. 30:46 And Kevin? 30:47 Kevin is her son 30:48 and who is now a pastor in Bakersfield Church 30:50 and worked here at 3ABN for quite a while. 30:53 And I happen to know the Dean Bruce Wells 30:57 of the other school who was a classmate of mine. 31:00 So she was trying to get some help for Kevin, 31:04 because she knew he was a good child. 31:06 But he had gotten himself in some hot water. 31:08 And we're trying to see if we could work it out, 31:10 and I knew some people, and she knew some people. 31:11 So in dealing with that, I was also getting information, 31:15 you know, about stuff. 31:16 And yeah... 31:20 Okay. 31:22 So that was kind of the first, the first night, 31:24 it went, the conversation went for a quite a long time. 31:25 Okay, now we get-- 31:27 We talked for a while. 31:28 Now we get to switch over 31:30 and that's what we want to hear from Irma now. 31:31 Now you come flying in leaving dust everywhere. 31:35 Yes, like Kandy Oakley. 31:36 And now, when did you spot him, 31:37 when did he catch your eye. 31:39 And when did you take pictures of him 31:41 during prayer? 31:43 I did not. Oh you didn't. 31:44 Okay. No, that's a funny story. 31:47 He always says that I drove crazy, you know. 31:50 But credit to that, it was very dusty. 31:54 Oh, okay. 31:55 That because they had put rocks and gravel 31:58 and whatever. 32:00 So we have to-- 32:01 She wasn't going 90, she was just going 70. 32:03 It was a tent meeting, 32:04 so there was a lot of dust there. 32:05 Yes, it was. All right. 32:07 The road to get to the back to the parking was not far away 32:11 but it's right there next to the tent. 32:14 And I was a little late. Late. A little. 32:21 The truth comes out, yes, indeed. 32:22 A little late. 32:24 Cloud of dust in a hotty high old silver. 32:27 Not because I wanted to be late, 32:30 but my friend stood me up. 32:32 She did remember, you do met... 32:33 Okay. Mona. 32:36 No, not Mona. Elena. 32:38 It was Elena, Elena Borsuk. 32:40 It's our first introduction on 3ABN 32:42 that she stood you up. 32:44 You are on a really bad road right now. 32:45 Sorry, sorry. 32:47 It's kind of one of those programs, 32:48 "This is your life." 32:51 She says, "I'll be right there." 32:53 and he said, "We'll go to support the pastor, 32:55 'cause pastor might tell which is our friend. 32:59 We were very good friends, and it was his first night. 33:04 So I was ready and waiting for her 33:07 and she never came. 33:08 And I sat watching TV, and I got up again and I-- 33:12 so it's, you know, I have, my house is clean, 33:15 I'm ready to go. 33:17 I should go. 33:18 But because I wasn't comfortable 33:22 to just drive on myself. 33:24 I fought it, but the Lord insist on it, 33:28 'cause finally, you know, I felt like, 33:30 you know, I have to go. 33:31 And so I got in the car and I went, 33:34 and probably because I was driving a little fast 33:38 simply because of it. 33:39 Okay, well. 33:40 Cloud of dust, you would have thought about 33:42 and you erupted, there's so much there. 33:43 So when you, that cloud of dust settles down 33:45 and you're, Who was preaching that night? 33:47 Where you preaching C.A? 33:48 No, actually, Martell was preaching, 33:50 I came to support him. 33:51 Okay, I thought it was you. You were taking pictures. 33:53 I was taking pictures for the gleaner, 33:55 for the magazine. 33:56 So that kind of explains why he was taking pictures 33:59 during prayer that day. 34:00 That's a little better, 'cause you were there 34:02 taking pictures of the event. 34:03 For the union, for the event. It was all very official. 34:05 Sometimes you get people praying, we have taken-- 34:08 okay. 34:09 Okay, all is forgiven, right? Praise the Lord. 34:11 Young people, you can listen again. 34:13 That sounds much better. Yeah, sounds good. 34:14 So when did he spotted you, but when did you spot him? 34:18 I didn't spot him because I was not interested. 34:21 Tell you the truth, I was not, 34:23 I was a very studious person of the Bible. 34:28 And I had, had a very bad marriage. 34:31 Okay. 34:33 So you weren't interested in anybody, it wasn't just him. 34:35 No, I have said to the Lord, I said "If I'm to marry again, 34:40 you have to bring that person right in front of me 34:42 that I really know that, that's the person." 34:45 Because I didn't want to make another bad mistake. 34:47 I said, "Lord, you know, I didn't choose right. 34:49 So I don't want to do it this time." 34:51 So I was not, I just want to really, 34:54 honestly hear the messages. 34:57 But then they introduced me to him 35:00 and at night, you know, after the meeting. 35:03 And it was a wonderful thing 35:06 that this pastor was so interested in to know 35:09 how my son was doing, and wanted to help it so... 35:14 Yeah, look at him. 35:15 Wish we had a camera shot on that. 35:17 He had a little ulterior motive may be, just a little bit. 35:20 Look, look little sheepish over there. 35:22 Okay. To me that was just amazing. 35:24 So that's when you guys talk for hours. 35:25 Yeah, yeah. 35:27 Yes, so we were talking and he offered to pray for, 35:30 you knowing to call me and pray for my son-- 35:32 I'm going to need a phone number, 35:34 because I've got to minister to you. 35:39 I did know that my friends on the other end, 35:42 they were all giggling, and talking, and so. 35:45 Finally when, you know, it was over the conversation. 35:49 And I was going my way, and him his way, then, 35:53 you know, Pastor Martell. 35:57 He says, "Well, that's the long conversation." 36:00 So because Pastor Martell would always tell you, 36:04 said, boy, "she only says a lot to the man and she's gone." 36:09 We've been trying to get her to meet these guys 36:12 and she just so goes. 36:15 So he was amazed that I spent so much time, 36:18 but I said no way. 36:19 He wants to help me out with Kevin. 36:22 I'm very worried about Kevin. 36:24 And then you know what happened? 36:25 The next Sabbath, I came up and preached 36:28 because Martell was preaching each night, 36:29 he needed a little break. 36:31 I said, "I'll come and preach for you. 36:32 So I came back up and I preached from-- 36:34 and Kevin, you brought Kevin. 36:35 And at my appeal Kevin took up, 36:37 stood up and gave a shout to the Lord. 36:38 Wow. Yeah. 36:40 So now I got to study the Bible with him, you know. 36:42 That's our piece, 36:44 give him harsh words, so somebody got to talk, 36:45 can't just leave him out there by himself. 36:47 So now, I've got to come back again and again 36:49 because we have to study the word of God. 36:50 That's right, sure. Yeah. 36:52 So you broke through that whole barrier through her son. 36:58 And Kevin and I got along very well, very quickly. 37:00 We became fast friends. That's true. 37:03 Yes. And then there's a picture. 37:06 Yeah. 37:09 All right, look at that smile on C.A's face, would you? 37:12 I know. I mean, that's a big smile C.A. 37:16 He was happy to be in your company. 37:18 You know what, I have to tell you the truth, 37:20 I still see that smile on his face with you, 37:22 all these years later. 37:23 Oh, thanks. Ask, how am I doing C.A? 37:26 You make a point, I love it. 37:28 That's true, and I see it on hers too 37:30 when he's preaching when he's upfront. 37:32 I watch the response and she's really into it. 37:35 So I said, okay, that gives me confidence in the speaker 37:38 when his wife is on edge and he's held her attention 37:41 and she's there, you know, excited about it so. 37:44 You know so. 37:46 Now how long did this deal go on, 37:47 I mean you can only study the guy so much, 37:50 you know and with him, 37:51 so what happened after that Irma. 37:53 Who made the first move, did he about marriage? 37:56 He kept calling and calling. And we would study and pray. 38:01 And then my friends on the other end, 38:03 "He likes you, he's really interested in you." 38:06 I says, "No, he's not." "Yes, he is." 38:09 So then finally I started thinking, 38:11 you know what, I think it is true, 38:13 that he is calling too often. 38:15 Right. Too often. 38:19 He was a good talker 38:21 so he never sounded like it was, 38:24 you know, trying to tell me things then. 38:27 He was not, you know, very engaging 38:32 and so we're talking, 38:33 so then finally when I realized, then I said, 38:37 "Wow," you know 38:38 and I realize that I really like his qualities and. 38:41 So I call, you know and Kevin, and Becky. 38:46 You know we got to talk. So we sat down and talk. 38:50 So I told them because I felt I said you know, 38:52 "If they don't like him, 38:54 I'm not even going to start anything, 38:57 because they're gonna be part of the family. 38:59 Your son and daughter. Yes. 39:01 Kevin and Becky, my son and my daughter. 39:04 And of course Kevin was, you know, sold out. 39:10 Oh, yeah. 39:11 And Becky, she says, "Well, I said I have to go, 39:14 I have to meet him very well," and I says, 39:16 so she came to church with us 39:18 and so then she was dressing me up 39:22 and you know making me look really good and. 39:26 So we went to church and she liked them. 39:29 She said, "I think that you have a very good man there. 39:33 Yes, I think that you should-- 39:35 They have such a really good relationship, 39:38 like you can tell, when people get along 39:41 and they enjoy each other and you go guys really. 39:44 I think you compliment each other. 39:46 Yeah, I think we do. Yeah, we do. 39:48 I don't think he has too many things 39:50 that I can say that, that I don't like, you know. 39:54 There are some things that I'll say, 39:58 "Well, you know, you shouldn't do that or something, 40:00 but there is nothing to really that..." 40:02 She says little stronger than that, 40:03 she is Spanish. 40:05 She comes out a little stronger. 40:06 Why not tell, it's old stereotype. 40:09 Irma has this ability, 40:12 she's actually better than me on this, 40:14 Irma can get upset, 40:16 but she calms down faster than anybody I know. 40:19 Once she says it, she's done. 40:21 You know, I tend to stew, you know, a little bit. 40:24 But when we have disagreements, 40:27 she wants to deal with it right then, 40:29 right at that second. 40:30 And once she does it, she's ready like hugging, 40:32 she's like okay, now it's like-- 40:33 I'm like, "Okay, give me a second." 40:36 Because I tend to stew on it. 40:38 But once she has her say, she's fine. 40:41 She doesn't hold grudges for long periods of time. 40:43 That's good. 40:45 Nothing to hold you getting all out. 40:46 Rush, she gets it, I said, 40:47 "I'll will die of a heart attack 40:49 as you'll be fine, because she's gonna say it. 40:50 Yeah. And she's through with it. 40:52 And she's not a person that just stew on things 40:53 and chew and chew and chew. 40:55 She doesn't. But yeah. 40:58 The same time I don't like to wait to fix things, 41:02 you know, a week later so. 41:03 I want to fix it right away, you know, know where I'm stand. 41:07 So he pops a question, tell us about that? 41:10 Oh-- 41:12 Did he do it on the phone? No. 41:14 No, he-- 41:16 We were at church, at my church at this time. 41:20 And you were going to baptize. 41:23 You were right, we were at Jamaican church, 41:24 and I was baptizing Zondra Lamar. 41:27 And I proposed her on the baptismal pool. 41:29 That's right. From the baptismal pool. 41:31 And he did, and I was so embarrassed 41:33 and I thought, is that a Christian thing to say. 41:37 Wait, wait. I've to hear how you did that? 41:39 He's the pastor. 41:40 How did you do that? He did. 41:42 I baptized this person, as I brought her up, 41:45 and then she was leaving the pool. 41:47 And I said, you know, I need to make one more addition 41:50 to the house of the Lord, today. 41:52 And I said, "Irma," and she said, you know. 41:55 And I said, you know, 41:57 "Will you marry me and join my pool?" 41:59 And Kevin went, "Yes!" He was like that. 42:02 And she kind of stood there for a few minutes. 42:04 And I don't know if you ever spoke. 42:06 I think she nodded, she's kind of like, 42:08 sat back down in a pew. 42:09 Said, this guy asked me in front of all these people, 42:11 what if I said no, 42:12 church full of people on Sabbath morning. 42:14 All right, he was banking on that. 42:15 Yeah. Yeah, very much so. 42:17 He was. I think he knew. 42:19 That was-- 42:21 It was nice, but I was so nervous about it. 42:23 How about the people clapped? They did. 42:25 Yes, they did. They were all happy about that. 42:27 So that's how you learned, was in church. 42:30 In church. 42:31 Glad you're paying attention 42:32 and not asleep like he was in London. 42:35 Irma, will you marry me? No, yes. 42:38 Praise the Lord, No, I can't sleep that easy like he does. 42:42 Oh, my-- 42:43 It is true that he can, just says, give me 15 minutes, 42:46 and he closes his eyes, and he's gone for 15 minutes. 42:50 Wow. I don't. 42:51 Did you grew up in a Christian home, Irms? 42:53 No, I grew up-- 42:56 Well, part of my childhood was in the Catholic Church. 43:01 And, but we didn't like... 43:06 I don't remember being in the church 43:09 all the time like most Catholic. 43:11 My mother was the youngest of 14 children. 43:15 And they were absolutely Catholics. 43:18 They are Catholic that, they live in very small town. 43:23 There was a Catholic Church, 43:25 but there were no priests as preceding in there. 43:30 They... It is every... 43:32 so often, you know, they will come and have a mass 43:37 and so, then the whole town was just there in my family. 43:42 They, you know, they would always there 43:44 at the altar helping 43:46 and so they were very, very Catholic. 43:49 And, but my mother always had a different thinking. 43:55 She likes to learn, she likes to study, 43:57 she likes to learn things. 43:59 She didn't take things just because somebody told you. 44:03 And, so she always have this thing 44:07 that she didn't see everything being right in the church. 44:12 So as soon as she got married, and she moved from home 44:17 and went to live in David where, you know in city. 44:22 And she married, 44:24 she was on her own studying and soon enough, 44:28 Jehovah Witnesses came there soon. 44:31 So she started studying with them. 44:33 But she study the Bible by herself. 44:37 She learned about the Sabbath right away. 44:40 And she says, so next, she talk to the Jehovah Witnesses, 44:44 talk to me about these, explain to me. 44:47 Oh, no, he says we don't talk about that, 44:50 and that is... 44:52 I've been done with. 44:54 So my mother did not accept that, so she says no. 44:57 Says, "If you cannot sit and tell me 45:00 why we have gone from Sabbath to Sunday, 45:03 we cannot study anymore." 45:05 So she didn't like that. 45:07 So it went about eight years later, 45:11 that we moved to another town. 45:14 And then Adventist teacher was going. 45:17 Every day passed the house, go to the school, 45:21 you know to teach. 45:22 And so that's how we then came acquainted with the church, 45:27 then she find out, wow, there is a church. 45:29 So did you tell us where this was, 45:33 you were born and raised where? 45:34 So this was in Panama. 45:36 Panama? Yes. 45:37 Okay. The country of Panama. 45:39 Okay. 45:40 That's the little accent, right? 45:42 Yes, a little accent. Little, little. 45:45 Just a little accent going on there. 45:47 Now, let me ask you something. 45:49 Have you taught C.A to speak Spanish? 45:52 I have been. 45:53 And he is a very good student, I must say. 45:55 Okay. 45:56 Because you get to flew to Panama quite a bit. 45:57 Yes, he is. 45:59 And Lord willing when you retire, 46:00 you plan on retiring there, so you're gonna have to really, 46:03 really work on this language. 46:04 Yeah. 46:06 Speak something to Yvonne in Spanish, 46:07 see if she understands you. 46:18 He understands. Help me please. 46:21 Now moving on, yeah, okay. 46:26 So, Yvonne, how do you speak Spanish? 46:29 My dad, my dad was in... 46:33 He took Spanish in school? 46:34 No, he used to... 46:36 Well, I think he did that, 46:37 but he used to play softball with Puerto Rican team. 46:40 Okay. 46:41 And he would go to their church on Sabbath and he would... 46:44 My dad spoke fluent Spanish, he did really. 46:47 I hear she speaks good Spanish, is that true? 46:49 She does, she really does. Yes. 46:56 I told her I'll pay her later. Oh. 46:58 I can do pretty good one on one. 47:00 She does. 47:01 But in groups, 47:03 when and it comes a little fast for me. 47:05 And I can understand sermons about maybe 60 percent. 47:08 But it's not a tough language to learn 47:10 once you kind of set your mind to it, it's not. 47:11 It's not... 47:13 I notice you understand a lot, 47:14 I notice and you're pretty good. 47:16 Yeah. 47:17 Ask me anything 47:18 and I'll show you I understand it. 47:20 Ask me something like this. 47:21 Do you love somebody? 47:22 No, no, in Spanish. 47:24 Oh, you wanted it in Spanish. 47:25 Yeah, yeah. 47:26 Okay. 47:28 sí, sí... 47:31 You know, sí, I just fluent Spanish. 47:34 sí, everything is sí. Gracias. 47:39 You see, what is he asking? Yeah, sí. 47:42 He said no. No, no, no... 47:46 Oh, now, he's under age. He's asking you for some money. 47:48 He want a raise, I knew it, I knew it. 47:50 Okay. 47:51 Let's get off of this, I'm losing. 47:53 Okay, we'll get into something else. 47:55 Now go back about 12 years or so ago. 47:59 I'm asked to go to a camp meeting in New York City, 48:02 New York. 48:03 Big camp meeting, 48:05 I'm told it's going to be 6, 8, 10, 000 folk there. 48:07 And they asked Melody and me, 48:09 and Melody and I are going to sing. 48:11 Molly says to me. 48:13 Oh, by the way there is a preacher out there 48:14 who's gonna sing with you guys. 48:17 And I looked, and I said, "What?" 48:19 She said, "No, there's this preacher, 48:21 C.A Murray and he's going to sing with you guys." 48:24 I said, "No, he doesn't." 48:25 And she said, "Well, he said he's practiced this song." 48:28 I said, "Which one, was the song 48:29 that Melody had written, I know the plans." 48:33 And she said, "Well, why wouldn't you let him sing, 48:34 he might be good." 48:36 I said, "He might be bad." 48:37 And you know, we don't know. 48:38 But I said besides we got our things planned 48:40 and I said, you know, "If I don't know him, 48:42 but if I were going there and I said, 48:44 "hey I'm gonna preach half of your sermon." 48:45 He's going to say "No, no, no, I'm sorry. 48:47 You know we've got a plan." Right. 48:49 So she says, "Well, he said he wants to sing." 48:51 I said, "That's not gonna happen." 48:53 So we go out there 48:54 and we do some programming in the morning, 48:56 then he invites me to his house, right? 48:58 Irma you were there. Oh, yes. 49:00 And then... 49:01 they feed me, what are you gonna say 49:03 when somebody feeds you, right? 49:04 And it's a good cooking. 49:05 But then he said something about the song or I did. 49:08 And what I ask you to do? 49:09 You said, "Sing it." So you grab the CD. 49:12 So put this in your machine, let's sing it right now. 49:14 So we sang maybe just the first little bit. 49:18 And he said, "Okay, we'll do it." 49:19 So... 49:21 He knew it better than I did, that's why I agree, 49:23 he knew the song better than I do. 49:24 Melody and I only sing once in a while. 49:26 He knew every word. 49:27 He knew the third part exactly what we needed. 49:29 I said this works. 49:31 So I had apologized, I said, you know what... 49:33 Irma said, we'll sing it before and I thought. 49:35 You know, and I said this now... 49:37 that was one of the proudest days 49:38 of my life, I was so happy. 49:40 Ruben Kara, mutual friend who had built Danny up so high. 49:44 Ruben just loves you, 49:46 he just has great respect for you. 49:47 And I love him. 49:48 And I said to Ruben, "Nobody can be as good 49:50 as you're making this guy out there with you." 49:52 He said, "No, when you meet him, 49:53 you're gonna love him." 49:55 He is this, he is honest, he is kind, he's friendly, 49:56 he's nice... you know Ruben is just, 49:58 he just sold on you. 50:00 So I said okay, "Let me meet this dude and we'll see." 50:02 you know so he comes at our house. 50:04 He puts the CD in front of me, 50:06 so then we're singing but I just... 50:07 It was just it... 50:08 It was on that day that I said, 50:10 if the opportunity ever came to come to 3ABN, 50:12 I would accept it. 50:14 The Lord spoke to me that day. 50:15 So I knew, I knew I was going to end up in the peer. 50:18 That afternoon confirmed it for me. 50:20 And I liked him right off. Yeah. 50:21 And I have ever since just as. 50:24 It's one of those things, when you meet people 50:26 and you know right away that you're going to get along. 50:28 Yeah. You're connected. 50:29 Well, and you can kid each other about things, 50:31 you know, not tight, and you can just have fun. 50:34 And go out to eat together, you can go play basketball, 50:37 he plays basketball, we just do things together, 50:39 and we laugh, I mean literally. 50:41 We were out John and Angie, we got Kandy and Chris I mean, 50:45 whatever group 3ABN, we're out. 50:48 People at our tables probably 50:49 where we were eating all looking over like.. 50:50 Yeah, what's the matter with them? 50:52 What's so funny, 'cause these folks, 50:54 I mean we take our whole when we're traveling. 50:56 Am I telling the truth? 50:58 Oh, yeah. It's very much so. 50:59 And people are looking over like, wow, what is going on, 51:00 what are we missing? 51:02 Because we're having fun in the Lord. 51:03 Yeah. 51:05 I never forget when we were in restaurant, 51:06 remember we were on the train. 51:08 Oh. 51:09 I realized just how loud... 51:10 How they made us to be quiet. 51:12 They made us quiet. 51:14 But thinking, not for talking, no laughing, yeah. 51:16 But now when you tell, you can't laugh, 51:17 everything is funny. 51:19 That's right. 51:20 Yeah, we felt like a bunch of kids, 51:22 traveling five hours on a train, 51:23 and they come and make us be quiet 51:25 'cause you're too loud, too loud. 51:26 We probably didn't reflect well on America that day, 51:30 'cause we're the only ones making noise and being loud. 51:33 I know, we were too loud. 51:35 You know ministry wise 51:36 and I know we're kind of running out of time. 51:38 This has been a the greatest 11 years 51:41 and change of our lives. 51:42 Praise the Lord. 51:44 Having served the Lord all of my years, 51:45 but Irma and I talk about this sometimes. 51:47 It's been just a real treat and a blast and a blessing. 51:51 First of all to know you and to know this ministry 51:54 and to see what God is doing. 51:55 And, then I always felt that Yvonne needed to be here, 51:57 I've told her that, I said that to you that, 51:59 for some reason my heart... 52:01 she needed to be here. 52:02 And of course when she came and she fit right in, 52:04 "Dare to Dream" became the product of that. 52:06 But we've had a really good time Becky, 52:07 our daughter has worked here. 52:09 Kevin has worked here. 52:10 Kevin is now in full time ministry pastoring. 52:12 Becky is out at Bakersfield also. 52:13 So this has been just the ice cream on the Sunday 52:19 or the cherry on the Sunday. 52:21 just working has been a blessing 52:22 and we truly love everybody here. 52:25 You came in at a critical time too for us and 3ABN 52:30 and you came in, he's solid. 52:32 He's easy going, he's not one as we talked earlier up. 52:37 He's got a solid level head. 52:39 So I can tell you there are many times, I go on him, 52:42 I say, "C.A, help me here, talk to me a little bit." 52:45 And he does, he will counsel with me, 52:47 Pastor Lomacang will do the same thing. 52:49 But the friendships that we have, 52:51 but what you guys have brought to this ministry 52:53 has been invaluable. 52:55 The work that you do, literally not only here, 52:58 but around the world facilitating 52:59 where 3ABN is going and where we should go, 53:02 and where maybe we can't go, 53:03 and making all of those decisions right here, 53:05 you know. 53:07 So we trust him. 53:08 Thank you so much for what you do. 53:10 Both of you, Irma for Latino 53:12 how invaluable that you are so God has brought us together. 53:16 And many others and I hope you're enjoying this 53:18 we're almost... 53:19 It's like a little series of coworkers of people 53:22 in a ministry for the Lord. 53:24 Yes. 53:25 You know, that have come here to find out. 53:27 Maybe some things that you didn't already know 53:29 plus have a little bit of fun. 53:31 We're gonna have to take a break. 53:33 We'll be back in just a moment. |
Revised 2021-09-28