Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY220050A
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00:05 I want to spend my life
00:10 mending broken people. 00:15 I want to spend my life 00:21 removing pain. 00:26 Lord, let my words 00:31 heal a heart that hurts. 00:37 I want to spend my life 00:42 mending broken people... 00:47 I want to spend my life 00:53 mending broken people. 01:06 Hello and welcome 01:08 to another 3ABN Today program. 01:10 I'm Jason Bradley, and I'm so glad that you've decided 01:12 to join us once again. 01:14 We have an exciting power-packed hour 01:18 in store for you. We are going to be talking to someone 01:21 who is a walking miracle. 01:24 He's a walking miracle 01:26 and you're going to find out about his story. 01:28 We're going to dive deep into it. 01:30 But we're going to be blessed in song first. 01:34 But let me introduce him to you 01:36 so you can know who you're going to hear from in just a minute. 01:40 We have Pastor Abner Rodriguez. 01:43 He's a pastor in the WV Mountain View Conference 01:48 of Seventh-day Adventists. Welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:52 Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here with you guys 01:55 and to once again be able 01:57 to talk to so many people 01:58 about the love of Jesus 02:00 and the power of His love. 02:01 Amen! Amen! 02:03 I want to share a scripture because I think this 02:06 really fits within your story here. 02:10 It's taken from Matthew chapter 4 02:13 and verses 23 and 24. 02:16 "And Jesus went about all Galilee 02:19 teaching in their synagogues, 02:21 preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 02:22 and healing all kinds of sickness 02:25 and all kinds of disease among the people. 02:28 Then His fame went throughout all Syria 02:31 and they brought to Him all sick people 02:34 who were afflicted with various diseases and torments 02:37 and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, 02:40 and paralytics, and He healed them. " 02:44 And we're going to find out a lot more 02:47 about that healing that took place 02:50 and how Pastor Abner is going forth 02:53 preaching the gospel. 02:54 But first, we're going to hear a wonderful song 02:58 being played by Martha Jhoana 03:01 and it's entitled We Shall Behold Him. 07:09 Wow! What a blessing! 07:11 What a blessing! We Shall Behold Him. 07:14 Pastor Abner, I want to dive into 07:17 your background. Kind of bring us up to speed with 07:22 your upbringing and then your Prodigal Son experience. 07:25 Well, I was born in the Message. Um-hmm. 07:32 Sometimes people are not fortunate 07:34 enough to be born and raised in an SDA home. 07:38 Um-hmm. It wasn't just an SDA home, it was 07:41 a Christian home. We tried our very best 07:44 humanly possible, of course, 07:46 to imitate Jesus Christ in everything that we do. 07:50 And, um, I guess 07:54 like every struggling young adult 07:57 who was raised in the church 07:59 sometimes there are questions 08:01 about who Jesus really is. 08:04 And I always tell people 08:06 that I had to discover who He was 08:09 on my terms - um-hmm - and not on my parents' terms. 08:13 Because I knew the God that my parents were faithful to 08:19 and they worshiped and they tried to guide us 08:21 and rear us by but I didn't have that personal 08:24 experience with Him. And that's what sometimes 08:27 I feel that the youth of today are missing in the church. 08:31 And so I kind of went through that myself 08:35 and unfortunately, I found myself 08:38 away from God, away from the church. 08:41 But you know, the love of God is so amazing 08:45 that it has a very particular way of bringing you back 08:49 to the fold. Um-hmm. 08:51 And He never calls everybody the same way. 08:54 He calls you different; He called me differently. 08:57 And even in that difference 09:00 today I can say I have experienced Jesus. 09:04 Amen! That's beautiful. 09:06 "O taste and see that the Lord is good. " 09:08 Absolutely. You had to taste and see for yourself. 09:10 You couldn't live through your mother's experience, 09:13 live through your father's experience. No. 09:15 Any of that. And unfortunately, that's something 09:18 that happens too frequently today. Um-hmm. 09:23 I'm kind of afraid to even use this terminology 09:26 but I have to: "as people play church. " 09:28 Umm. Because we'll come to church - um-hmm - 09:32 but we come for the expectations of being there 09:35 but we don't come because we are searching for God. 09:40 It's a routine. Yes. And I always tell people 09:43 "Get out of your routine. " 09:45 Hmm... yeah, that's important. 09:46 You know, you mentioned to me offset 09:50 that people go to church and they think that that 09:55 automatically gets them to heaven. Um-hmm. 09:57 Unpack that. 09:58 Society teaches us - um-hmm - and this is in no way 10:03 putting down any denomination - 10:05 society teaches us that once you're saved 10:09 you're forever saved. 10:10 That's definitely God's hope for us 10:15 but this morning's devotional was talking about 10:20 how it's important for me as a person 10:23 to come before His presence daily 10:27 so that I can understand: 10:30 "What's my purpose in this world? " Yes. 10:33 You know with what's happening around the world today 10:36 everybody is searching for a purpose. 10:38 Um-hmm. But we're not clear on what that mission is. 10:42 And it won't be clear until you understand 10:47 who it is that you're following. 10:49 Yes. You either follow God - um-hmm - 10:51 or you follow the "other guy. " Um-hmm. 10:55 And so we have to make the de- cision - a conscious decision - 10:59 of who it is that we're going to allow our lives to be influenced 11:03 by. Um-hmm. What areas did you venture into 11:08 when you were not walking with the Lord? " 11:14 I went "full tilt" as they say on the streets. 11:19 I got into alcoholism. 11:22 I got into a lot of partying. 11:24 I got into hanging around with the wrong crowd. 11:27 I got into illegal street racing, 11:30 and it was a complete package 11:35 of what Satan tries to show you: this is fun. 11:40 And as someone who was venturing away from God? 11:45 my heart was trying to follow fun 11:48 instead of following God. Um-hmm. 11:51 And we don't want anybody to think that following God 11:55 isn't fun. On the contrary, IT IS FUN. 11:59 Not only is it fun but it's also very rewarding 12:05 because the rewards that I receive today 12:09 from following the Lord 12:13 I can't even begin to tell you. 12:15 It goes beyond measure. 12:18 Some people chase paper. Um-hmm. 12:22 Other chase status. Um-hmm. 12:24 Other chase respect or recognition. 12:27 It's always about after man's own heart 12:31 and not after God's own heart. 12:33 That's why David was such an amazing person. 12:36 David was a man, the Bible says, "after God's own heart. " 12:39 Um-hmm. And you can see the level of 12:44 demonic threats that David had to face and he went through 12:47 but yet by the grace of God 12:50 he always had somebody to help steer him in the right 12:53 direction. And that's what God does for us. 12:56 Um-hmm. God always allows us to go through 12:58 certain circumstances or situations 13:01 to remind us "I am your God. " 13:03 Amen. "I am your Provider 13:05 and you are where you are because I love you. " Yes! 13:10 You know, and sometimes even in bad times 13:13 um-hmm - guess what? God is telling us the same thing too. 13:17 Yes, yes. I Peter chapter 1 says that the trials are there 13:22 to remind us that God has never left our side 13:25 and for our faith to grow so that we can be converted 13:28 constantly to the likeness of Jesus Christ. 13:31 Amen. So at what point did God grab ahold of your life? 13:38 'Cause I also know that leading up to that 13:40 you went through some dark times. The devil has tried 13:43 to take you out on several occasions. 13:45 And perhaps you want to touch on that a little bit. 13:48 Yeah, I can recall 13:50 accidents that I've been involved in 13:55 or near mishaps that I was involved in 13:58 when I was in the world. 14:02 And I wasn't the most likable person. 14:04 I can say that because my attitude was all about me 14:07 and how I can show off how I'm a powerhouse. 14:11 I was always a very influential person 14:14 in the city where I was growing up. 14:16 And even from a young age 14:19 for whatever reason I was very influential with my friends. 14:23 And as an adult or even a young adult 14:27 I kind of followed that same track 14:30 and that track led me to alcoholism 14:33 which later on led me to additional health problems 14:37 that I suffered with. Um-hmm. 14:40 You know, it still exists today. It hasn't gone away: 14:43 it's a painful reminder of what happens when you walk away 14:46 from God. Um-hmm. But I think that with every medication 14:50 that I have to take now, 14:52 every doctor's appointment 14:54 and the realm of so much possibilities of so many things 14:58 going wrong it tells me: "Lord, I need You more today 15:02 than ever before. " Yes. 15:05 I've gone through... In my adult stage 15:09 I've gone through health problems 15:11 with my kidneys, with diabetes. 15:13 Praise the Lord my heart is good 15:17 but high blood pressure, a leaky valve in my heart. 15:21 And it's like: "When is this ever going to stop? " 15:25 Yes. So I think about the soon return of Jesus 15:29 and I say: "That's when it's going to come to an end. " 15:32 Amen. I mean, God is going to undo everything, every bad thing 15:36 that I did to myself. 15:38 And there are a number of people that today are out there 15:42 struggling asking themselves: "Why am I going through this? 15:46 "When is this ever going to end? " 15:47 We have - not to enter into a political debate - 15:51 the pandemic. Because the pandemic is a real thing 15:56 and it reminds us of how fragile life really is. 16:01 Yes. And it's given us a gift where now 16:04 instead of turning just to one area 16:08 we've got multiple areas that we can go to 16:10 because God wants to save you. Um-hmm. 16:13 And so it's not just medications. 16:15 It's not just vaccines. 16:17 It's not just science that can save. 16:20 Jesus saves. 16:21 Yeah. He's where our salvation comes from. 16:25 Absolutely. Absolutely. 16:27 So there was a major event that took place in your life, 16:31 a medical situation that occurred 16:34 that nearly claimed your life. 16:37 Tell us about that. 16:39 Well in May 9 of 2009 16:43 I had just been married for four years 16:45 and I had a cerebral aneurysm 16:48 that ruptured. Um-hmm. 16:50 And the accounts of the story 16:54 of the testimony, I should say 16:56 the martureó in the Greek 16:58 the accounts of that story 17:01 I don't have all the full details, so I've gathered 17:05 little pieces of information from my mother 17:08 from my wife as well 17:10 because they were the ones that were present 17:12 at the time that all of this happened. 17:15 It started when I was at work. 17:18 I usually suffered from migraine headaches. OK. 17:21 So for me I just thought it was just another migraine headache 17:24 that I was having at that moment. 17:28 But little did I know that it was actually 17:33 an aneurysm that had ruptured in my brain. 17:36 Wow! An aneurysm that ruptured in your brain! 17:40 Yes. And that usually takes people out. 17:43 For 15 yrs. I was a paramedic 17:47 and I actually had cases like this when I running 17:53 medical emergencies. 17:56 And I could tell you that the majority of my patients 18:00 didn't even make it sometimes even on the stretcher. 18:03 So the fact that I survived this is a miracle on its own. Yes. 18:09 And I remember one particular case 18:12 where I was working in a hospital 18:15 as an ER technician 18:17 and we had a gentleman that came in 18:20 with a cerebral aneurysm bleed as well. 18:24 Young man with family. 18:29 And before we could even fly him out to a Level 1 trauma center 18:34 where they could do surgery on him 18:36 he actually died on us. 18:38 And so it was very hard. 18:42 You know, as someone who has lived medical experiences 18:49 I now know the possibilities of how close I was to dying. 18:55 Yes... yes. What was your experience like? 18:59 What were you feeling? What was going through 19:01 your mind at that time? 19:03 Honestly, I didn't know what was happening 19:05 because I was in a state of coma. 19:09 So for me all I thought was I was sleeping. 19:15 Gotcha! 19:17 My wife tells me that the day that it happened 19:23 at around 3 o'clock in the morning 19:25 I was throwing up - 19:29 OK - because it comes with the migraines as well. Uh-huh. 19:33 Sometimes it has nausea and vomiting 19:36 and stomach discomfort. So for me, I didn't think 19:39 and I was literally completely out of it... very incoherent. 19:43 Um-hmm. And from what I understand 19:47 she called my mom and my mom and my dad 19:50 came over to our apartment 19:51 and the three of them took me to the ER. 19:55 They rushed me to the emergency room. 19:58 And I remember my wife telling me that 20:01 the doctor that was on duty that day at the emergency room 20:04 was an Adventist pastor who knew me. 20:08 Wow! And he and I had worked together before. 20:12 And so they started asking questions. 20:16 My wife was telling me, said that my liver was very fatty 20:22 and it was in bad shape. 20:24 And the doctor said: "How much alcohol does he consume? " 20:28 And my mom - God bless her - 20:32 I can just imagine the embarrassment on her face - 20:36 says: "He doesn't drink alcohol. 20:38 We're Adventists. You should know that. 20:40 You know we're in an Adventist hospital and you're asking 20:43 these questions. " And then my wife actually turns 20:46 to my mom and she says: "Well actually 20:49 he used to drink a lot. " 20:52 Hmm... um-hmm. And so these are some of the ramifications 20:56 of breaking away from that health message. 21:00 Not only does the inspired pen gives us 21:03 but also the Word of God - yes - informs us. 21:06 And so long story... 'cause it is a very long story... 21:11 long story short they did a CAT scan of my head 21:15 and they found that I was bleeding. 21:18 Hmm. I had taken some medication 21:21 I thought would help me, but in fact what it was 21:26 was a blood thinner. 21:28 And so it thinned out my blood three times the amount. 21:31 So I was pretty much drowning. 21:36 My brain was drowning in its own blood. 21:38 Wow! That's the way it was. 21:41 And they tried to airlift me. 21:45 They brought in the first helicopter 21:46 because the city where we lived in 21:49 we had a Level 2 trauma center 21:51 so it was pretty much a basic hospital. 21:53 OK. Level 1 trauma centers 21:56 have emergency heart surgery, 21:58 emergency brain surgery, 22:00 whatever needs to be done boom! right there. 22:02 You're good to go. 22:03 You don't have to go anywhere. 22:05 But when you're in a Level 2 trauma center 22:07 they'll treat heart attacks. They'll treat some strokes. 22:10 They'll treat basic stuff 22:13 BUT if it complicates itself then you have to 22:16 be sent out somewhere else. Yes. 22:19 And this was a very complicated case 22:22 from what I understand. 22:24 I was also told that I stopped breathing 22:27 in the hospital in the emergency room two times. 22:31 Wow! So they had to intubate me. 22:34 And I remember the respiratory therapist 22:40 'cause he told me this 22:43 he was a good friend of mine from when I used to work 22:45 in that same hospital - um-hmm - he says: 22:47 "If you would have died on me, I would have killed you. " 22:52 And I said, no pun intended: "I'm sorry... 22:55 I didn't mean to scare anybody that way. " 22:57 But he said that he... 22:59 I was told that he worked super hard 23:02 on making sure that they preserved my life. 23:07 Um-hmm. That meant a lot to me 23:09 because sometimes we don't understand how God works 23:12 super hard - yes - to preserve our life. Yes. 23:16 And this was one of those situations 23:18 were it was... timing was everything. Um-hmm. 23:21 So they ordered the first helicopter 23:24 and I couldn't fit in there. I was 350 pounds 23:29 and I was twice the size of what I am today believe it or not. 23:34 Yes. And they had to order another helicopter 23:38 and they were looking for options to transport me. 23:41 They wanted to send me via ambulance but they were afraid 23:43 that if they sent me with an ambulance 23:46 I may not make it through transport 23:48 because the nearest Level 1 trauma center was about an hour, 23:52 two hours away. Oh wow! 23:54 And so it was kind of like being in the middle of nowhere. 23:57 Um-hmm. And so when the second helicopter came 24:03 they got me in there. 24:05 From what I understand because the wife of one of the doctors 24:11 that I used to work with she was a nurse on that flight. 24:13 OK. And she told me 24:16 "I remember you stopped breathing 24:18 in the middle of transport 24:19 and we had to resuscitate you again. " 24:21 Wow! They had to use paddles to shock my heart back into rhythm. 24:26 Wow! And so when I hear all of these things 24:30 I understand how much trouble I was in. Yes. 24:34 I was literally hanging by a thread. Yes! 24:37 You know, it's amazing when you find yourself in that position 24:40 the mercy of God says: "I'm not done with you yet. " 24:43 Um-hmm. And that's the beauty of how this entire testimony 24:47 really starts. Absolutely! 24:50 So what was your encounter with the Lord? 24:55 So I'm in coma. Um-hmm. 24:59 Part of it was medically induced 25:02 because my brain had a lot of swelling. Um-hmm. 25:04 And later on, I discovered that 25:08 they took out 25:12 about 4-6 liters of blood 25:15 they drained from my head to relieve the pressure. 25:22 And I'm sleeping. Um-hmm. Here I am, I'm just 25:24 I just feel like well I just need to wake up 25:28 because I have to go to work. This is what I'm registering 25:31 in my brain - um-hmm - but I can't wake up. Oh, man! 25:35 And so you know Solomon says 25:40 "Instruct the child in the ways of the Lord 25:43 so that when he grows up he doesn't depart. " 25:46 And the first thing that came to mind was "Pray. " 25:50 Wow! And so I started praying 25:53 and I said: "Lord, I don't know what's going on. 25:56 I know that I'm sleeping a lot 25:59 and I just... I need to wake up. " 26:04 I didn't hear alarms. Um-hmm. 26:06 I didn't hear anything. Um-hmm. 26:08 And I kept saying to myself: "As soon as I see the alarm" 26:12 'cause I had my eyes closed. "As soon as I hear the alarm 26:14 I'm going to wake up and I'm going to get ready 26:16 'cause I've gotta go to work. " Yes... yes. 26:19 And in the meantime in my subconscious I heard my voice 26:24 being called out and I saw this light coming from 26:27 my right-hand side. 26:29 And it kept saying: "Abner... Abner, wake up. " 26:34 Me? I thought it might have been my wife 26:36 you know talking to me 26:38 but I still couldn't wake up. 26:40 And there was one time where I said: "Look, I'm trying 26:43 to get up but I can't. I feel like I'm tied down. 26:47 I don't know what's going on. 26:49 Can somebody please help me? " 26:54 I felt my right hand 26:59 moving an almost going towards heaven 27:02 as you would reach for somebody to help pick you up. 27:06 And as I reached up I saw a hand. 27:11 And before I even touched the hand 27:14 I woke up. Oh wow! 27:18 That was the first time I woke out of coma. Wow! 27:22 And what was it like when you first woke up? 27:25 Like what? Were you looking around? 27:28 I mean, did you have any thoughts at that point? 27:30 What? Honestly I didn't know what to think 27:33 because the first thing going through my mind was 27:36 was this experience real? or was this something that I... 27:39 that my mind, my subconscious, just concocted or made up. 27:44 Um-hmm. I started looking around the room and I found myself 27:47 in a hospital bed with tubes 27:50 coming out of different places 27:52 where they shouldn't be. Yes, yes, yes. 27:57 You know, I looked around and as I looked to my right 28:00 side I saw a gentlemen - um-hmm - tall gentleman- 28:05 wearing scrubs and he was reading my notes - 28:10 um-hmm - my results and I could hear him say: 28:14 "This isn't possible. " 28:16 "This can't be. " 28:20 And he looked over at me and then he closed it. 28:23 And then he said: "How long have you been awake? " 28:27 And I said: "I just woke up. " 28:31 Wow! And he said: "Well... 28:34 my name is Dr. So-and-So. " And for privacy, I won't 28:37 say his name. Um-hmm. "My name is Dr. So-and-So 28:40 and I'm a neurosurgeon 28:43 and I accepted you here at this hospital 28:49 twenty-three days ago. " 28:50 "Do you know where you're at? " 28:54 "No, I don't. I don't know what's going on. " 28:59 And he said: "Somebody told me that you know a lot about 29:02 medicine and I want to see how much you remember 29:08 because you brain has gone through a lot of trauma" 29:12 yes - "to be in a coma for 23 days 29:17 where people sometimes never get out of it. " 29:19 You hear stories about people that have been - 29:23 and this is very few and in between - 29:25 that have been in comas for years and come out of them. 29:29 Um-hmm. But typically they don't bounce back 29:35 as God helped me and allowed me to bounce back 29:39 so resiliently. 29:41 It was all by His grace. 29:42 And he says: "Wait here. I'm going to go get a wheelchair 29:47 and I'm going to get some help. " Um-hmm. 29:50 "I want to take you downstairs 29:52 so that I can test you to see how much you know, 29:56 how much you remember. Where are you cognitively? " 30:00 And he said: "Oh, by the way... " 30:02 he said this so casually... 30:04 It's like well wait a minute. "By the way, you're paralyzed. " 30:08 "I'm what? " Whoa! 30:11 I'm like where are your bedside manners? 30:15 That's not something that you tell somebody... 30:17 especially when you first wake up. Yes. 30:20 I mean, I can understand his surprise as he was... 30:24 he was reading my chart and all of a sudden I come out 30:27 of coma. And he just thinks "I'm just going to review this 30:31 chart and walk out. " Um-hmm. But then as he's looking at me 30:35 and he said: "Oh, by the way, you're paralyzed 30:37 on your left side. " I was like: "What? " 30:41 He says: "We don't know if this is something permanent 30:44 or you know temporary. Time will tell. " 30:48 And so they bring a wheelchair. 30:51 They get me to get into the wheelchair 30:54 and he takes me personally downstairs to a viewing room 30:57 in radiology. And then he shows me CAT scans. Uh-huh. 31:03 And he says: "What can you tell me about what you see? " 31:09 And I don't know why but inside of me 31:13 something said: "That person is dead. " Hmm. 31:19 He says: "What makes you say that? " 31:21 I said: "Well, it's so dark. 31:26 I mean there's nothing. You can't see brain contour. 31:29 You can't see shape. All you see is just the skull 31:32 and all it is is just pure darkness. " 31:34 Wow! That's all it was. So no brain activity whatsoever? 31:39 At that time no brain activity 31:41 because my brain was drowning in its own blood. 31:47 Yeah... yeah. 31:49 And then he tells me 31:50 "That person is you. " Whoa! 31:54 I said: "What do you mean that's me? " 31:58 He goes: "Yeah... that person is you. " 32:01 And when you look at CAT scans in the bottom of the film 32:05 on the left-hand side - um-hmm - you always see the name. 32:08 You see the medical record number, 32:10 date of birth, and all that information. 32:12 And I looked at it and it had my name. 32:16 Um-hmm. And I got so hysterical. 32:20 Wow! I broke down; I started to cry. 32:24 He tried to calm me down and it wasn't working. 32:30 Um-hmm. You know, when you discover 32:37 that you have been living in so much darkness 32:42 it propels you to be hysterical. 32:46 And this is the reason why so many people 32:50 make so many mistakes today 32:53 because they're living in so much darkness 32:55 and they don't even know that they're living 32:57 in so much darkness. Um-hmm. And as I'm looking at it 32:59 I'm saying to myself: "This isn't possible! " Yes. 33:04 And so he calms me down. 33:08 He takes me out of there; he takes me back to my room 33:11 and he says: "I'm going to sedate you. " 33:14 "I don't want to be sedated... I just woke up! 33:17 I don't want to go back to sleep. " 33:21 He says: "Well your brain 33:23 as your blood pressure is raising 33:26 is receiving a lot of pressure 33:28 and we need to keep it down. " 33:30 So they sedated me, and I don't know for how long I was out 33:35 but some time that afternoon - I don't know when - 33:40 I woke up. And at that time the first person that I saw 33:45 was my wife. Wow! 33:48 And she was there with my mom. 33:50 But she approaches me and she says: 33:53 "Do you remember me? " 33:56 I said: "Yeah. " And she said: "What's my name? " 33:59 I had a pet name for her. Uh-huh... uh-huh. 34:02 I told her the pet name... I hope she doesn't kill me 34:06 for this... I said: "You're Kimpsy. " 34:09 OK. And I saw the tears in her eyes 34:13 and she got so happy and she hugged me 34:15 and said: "Yes, you're right. Yes! Yes! " 34:18 And my mom was in the corner - yes - 34:22 looking at all of this and she was crying. 34:24 And she said: "Do you remember that little lady? 34:27 I said: "Yeah. " "Who's that little lady? " 34:30 she said: "That's my mom. " 34:32 Um-hmm. And she came in and she hugged me and kissed me. 34:36 We had a wonderful time. 34:38 And that was the beginning of this godly journey. 34:43 Yes... yes. 34:46 So that's the BEGINNING of this godly journey. 34:50 So take me through that journey. 34:54 So taking into consideration that I had work to do 34:58 for the Lord, I kept that in my mind. 35:02 Something kept bringing that up to my mind. 35:04 And that evening when they went where they were staying - 35:09 they were staying at a place nearby - somebody had... 35:12 had allowed them to stay at a house nearby the hospital 35:15 so they wouldn't have to travel almost 2 hours back and forth 35:18 from where we lived to the hospital - 35:20 I said to myself: 35:24 "Lord, You told me that I have work for you to do. 35:28 I had just gotten done doing an evangelistic series 35:32 where 365 people had... I bore witness... 35:37 365 people getting baptized. 35:40 Never in my life have I ever seen anything like that. 35:42 Wow! And even meeting a person at the airport 35:47 when I was on my way back. 35:50 I don't know if this woman gave her life to the Lord 35:52 but she was going through some problems. Um-hmm. 35:54 You know, I witnessed to her. 35:58 And then there was another gentleman who was very ill 36:01 back home. I witnessed to him, 36:03 and I do believe that the Lord seals those individuals 36:06 for eternity - amen - because of the experience. 36:12 Everything that you go through reminds people 36:15 or reminds you of the need for people to have salvation. 36:18 Um-hmm. And bearing witness to that, I said: "Lord, 36:23 You know I can't do this from a wheelchair. " 36:28 Um-hmm. And as I was praying and once I said "Amen" 36:33 I felt the need to have to go use the bathroom. 36:38 And I struggled but somehow 36:42 I got the guardrails down 36:45 I got my legs over, stood up, 36:50 held onto the wall, and walked over to the restroom. 36:54 Wow! And I said: "Lord if You can help me get to the restroom 36:58 I know You can help me get to the window. " 37:03 I took off IV; I took off telemetry. 37:08 And I don't remember how much time went by 37:11 but I was standing by the window and I was looking outside 37:13 my window and all I could see was just the Bay Area. 37:17 And I thought: "How beautiful to be able to see that! " 37:20 Yes! And all of a sudden this little nurse who was just... 37:23 ran through the door and she said: 37:26 "What are you doing? " I said: "Nothing. I'm just 37:30 looking out the window. " 37:33 She goes: "No! No! No! You don't understand. 37:35 You're supposed to be paralyzed. 37:37 What are you doing standing up? " 37:39 Wow! And I said: 37:41 "Well... evidently I'm not. " 37:46 Um-hmm... um-hmm. 37:48 I mean I know that it was God who did it. 37:50 Yes. You know, because God gave me the strength 37:52 to do all of these things. Amen. 37:54 And today when I started looking for 37:58 an Adventist institution to follow the promise that I had 38:02 made to God - um-hmm - I went everywhere. Yes. 38:08 And doors were being closed left and right or so I thought - 38:12 um-hmm - 'cause I didn't hear from any of the universities. 38:15 And I remember one Sabbath a gentleman came to visit our 38:19 church and he didn't know me. 38:22 He just said: "You look like a pastor. " 38:24 I was like: "Whatever man. I just got out of the hospital. 38:27 No way no how. " 38:30 And I said: "Wait a minute. I can't say that 38:33 for two reasons. #1 I just did evangelism; 38:37 #2 God brought me out of something that He needs me 38:41 to witness for. " And so he told me about 38:45 a program that they had for adults at Oakwood University. 38:48 And I said: "Look. I'm not paying one single cent. 38:52 I've already wasted too much money 38:54 sending applications and application fees 38:58 and you know all the letters of references 39:01 and things like that. I'm not going to spend another cent. " 39:03 Said: "Don't worry about it... we'll take care of it. " 39:05 Um-hmm. He said: "I'm going to connect you with a young man 39:08 who is doing recruiting. 39:11 I'm going to give him all your information. 39:13 You tell him I sent you 39:15 and he's going to take care of you. " 39:16 And I was rude. I was on the phone: 39:18 I said: "Look, I'm not paying a single cent for this, OK? " 39:20 He says: "Don't worry about it. Just send it to me back 39:23 and I'll take care of you. " 39:24 I did everything. Got the references again. 39:28 Um-hmm. And when I sent it in it took literally almost 2 mos. 39:33 for him to respond. I said: "God doesn't want me to do this. " 39:36 And I started doubting God again. Um-hmm... um-hmm. 39:38 And then he called me one day and he said: 39:40 "Where's your application? " I said: "I sent that to you 39:42 months ago. What are you talking about? " 39:44 Says: "Well we got the envelope but it seems that somebody 39:47 opened up the envelope, took out the contents, 39:51 and ran it through. " 39:53 And before I sent it out something inside of me said 39:57 "Make copies of everything. " Um-hmm. 40:00 So I copied everything to a thumb drive. OK. 40:03 And then I said: "Look, I've got everything in my hand. 40:06 I'm going to e-mail this to you 40:08 so that you can have my applica- tion and all that good stuff. " 40:11 But in the back of my mind, I kept saying 40:14 "Satan doesn't want me to go here. 40:15 THIS is where God needs me to be. " Yes! 40:18 He was trying to block it. BIG TIME! Um-hmm. 40:21 And so I was accepted to Oakwood University 40:25 both my wife and I. 40:26 She went into the education portion. 40:28 I went into religion and theology. 40:31 And by the grace of God today we're both professionals. 40:35 Amen. Just finished... When I was told 40:38 that I could not go back to school because my wife 40:42 was told that my level of capacity 40:44 if I survived this would be like that of a 3rd graders. 40:48 Wow... wow! 40:50 A third-grader just finished his Master of Arts 40:56 in pastoral ministry. Wow! Praise God! 41:00 A third-grader finished his degree in church leadership. 41:05 Um-hmm. A capacity of a third-grader 41:10 is leading out a congregation. 41:13 Two congregations. Wow! 41:15 By the grace of God I've been named area coordinator 41:18 in my conference and I'm also associate youth director. 41:22 So you tell me: what is it that God doesn't have 41:27 the power to do? Oh... 41:30 He has brought you through so much. 41:33 He's delivered you from so much. 41:36 You had a survival rate of what? 41:39 5% they gave you? Less than 5%? 41:43 And if I survived my wife was told I would 41:46 be in a vegetative state. Wow! 41:49 And then they said you would be like a third-grader. 41:52 Your mind would be... and God has equipped you 41:56 to accomplish all that you've been able to accomplish. 41:59 There is absolutely nothing that God cannot help you overcome. 42:05 Yes... yes... amen... amen. 42:08 Remember, the Bible says 42:10 in Philippians: "I can do ALL things... " 42:14 Not some... it's all things. 42:17 "through Christ who strengthens me. " Amen. 42:21 How do you feel today? 42:25 I feel great. I mean I'm blessed 42:29 because today I live to tell others about Jesus. 42:35 Yes. We have a slogan 42:37 at the Mt. View Conference 42:39 in WV, and that phrase, 42:42 that theme is: "Tell somebody about Jesus. " 42:46 Um-hmm. And I look forward to every day 42:50 talking to people and sharing my experiences with them. 42:56 We're doing something called Interest Tracker. OK. 43:00 And every time I go to visit someone 43:03 I give them a little book: Steps to Christ. Yes. 43:07 That is an excellent book! That's my free gift 43:10 for them. I mean they're sign- ing up for free Bible studies 43:14 but I give them Steps to Christ. Um-hmm. 43:17 And you should see the look on people's faces when I say 43:21 "That little book saved my life. " Wow! 43:24 Because at a time where I was down... and this is 43:27 part of a different testimony that I have... 43:30 I tried to commit suicide, and when that didn't work 43:33 I threw the weapon on the counter and it landed 43:38 right next to that book Steps to Christ. 43:40 Wow! And tears... uncontrollable tears... were 43:45 coming down my eyes when I read 43:48 that God's great love for me is beyond all measure. 43:53 Um-hmm. That first chapter God's Love for Humanity 43:57 had me in absolute tears because I had lived a life 44:01 that was so reckless. Yes. And to understand that 44:05 even through my recklessness Jesus still loved me 44:09 was hard for me to believe but it brought me to my knees. 44:13 And I remember praying and saying: "Lord, 44:16 if You really love me the way this book and Your Word says 44:22 I need You to get me out of this situation right now. " 44:26 And the Lord absolutely did. 44:29 And even through this trial - 44:32 um-hmm - God rescued me. Amen! 44:36 Amen! He certainly did! 44:39 And you are literally a walking miracle. 44:43 And the beautiful thing... You know, we read that verse 44:46 in the beginning of this program 44:47 in Matthew chapter 4 verses 23 and 24. 44:51 You know, Jesus healed you 44:53 and now you're going to preach and teach 44:56 and lead people to Christ. 44:58 And you were running from the calling at one point. 45:01 I was, but see, now instead of running FROM it - 45:05 yes - I thank God that He's given me the opportunity 45:09 to now run TO it. Amen! Amen! 45:12 So do you go around speaking, preaching, teaching 45:16 at different churches? Different events? 45:18 What if someone wants you to come and share 45:22 your testimony with them? Do you do that? 45:24 I do. I did that for a very long time 45:26 and I still continue to do it. 45:28 And I've been told by many people 45:31 "You should write a book on this testimony. " 45:34 I'm praying and I'm saying: "OK, Lord, 45:37 somebody needs to hear this. " Um-hmm. 45:40 "Somebody who's not in church. " Yes. 45:43 So I'm asking God to give me the strength, give me the wisdom 45:46 and the knowledge to put it on paper. Amen! Amen! 45:50 What was... This whole event: what was it like 45:54 for your family? 45:56 It was traumatic! 45:58 I think that even still today 46:00 as a lot of them see me working for the Master 46:07 I don't think that that's something they ever thought 46:09 that they would see. 46:12 Like Jesus, I thought I was going to be cut down 46:16 and not even have a child. 46:17 The way the Bible says. 46:19 We knew that Jesus had a mission. 46:21 But I'm so grateful to God that His mission in my life 46:26 is not over yet. Yes... yes... praise God. 46:30 This is... you know you said that was the beginning 46:34 but you're journeying through what God has in store 46:37 for your life and that's so beautiful. 46:39 Absolutely. And I've got a... my best friend, Charles Gardner, 46:42 who is in Alabama... he's always telling me, says: 46:46 "Dude, you need to write that book! " Yes! 46:49 And you know I lived a life that was very selfish 46:54 when I was in the world. 46:56 And I'm also very cautious because I don't want 47:01 that selfishness to creep back in. Um-hmm. 47:04 And so I want to do what God wants me to do 47:07 and eventually, prayerfully, I need that book... 47:12 I need God to help me write that testimony 47:15 so that others can share it with many. Yes! 47:19 Yes. And it's going to be a blessing to many as I know. 47:23 Well I hope that people will invite you to speak 47:25 and share your powerful testimony with them. 47:28 We're getting ready to take a short break 47:30 to show you how you can get in touch with Pr. Rodriguez. 47:33 Check out our newsbreak and we'll be right back. |
Revised 2023-04-19