Participants: Donna Willey
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000016A
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00:34 Thank you so much especially,
00:36 Angela - you know she left one part out 00:38 of my little CB, my little bio... 00:42 I am an ordinary sinner, make no mistake about it. 00:47 An ordinary sinner just like each of you in this room, 00:51 and it's just a bunch of beggars gathered here together 00:55 to encourage one another. 00:58 Let us pray... 01:00 Father, As we open Your word, 01:02 we just plead again for Your Spirit - for we know 01:05 in and of ourselves, we can do nothing. 01:08 At this moment, I just want to rededicate my life 01:11 ... it is all to Jesus I surrender, 01:14 and all to Him I freely give. Amen... 01:20 I want to give a real special, special welcome to the men 01:23 in our audience today. 01:25 I am so impressed that you're here. 01:27 We're so glad you're here because we, as women, 01:31 we need you! 01:33 And as much as we love to be together as girls, 01:36 we love to come home to you, so we're so glad you're here, 01:40 and we hope that you are blessed as well. 01:43 Last night we talked a little bit about what it means 01:46 to be filled at the table. 01:49 And, I shared a little bit of my story - kind of some things 01:52 that had happened in life, some tragedies actually, 01:56 and just asking God for just a few more souls 02:00 that would fall from His table. 02:02 And God listened and God heard, 02:05 but God was silent for some time. 02:08 Today, we're going to pick up that story... 02:10 and the title of our message is, "Filled at the Throne of Grace" 02:15 This is it! 02:18 This is the real stuff! 02:19 The Throne of Grace... Have you been there today? 02:23 Come on people, have you been there today? 02:27 Because if we're missing that, it doesn't matter 02:30 what the building is like that we come to 02:32 or what the backdrop is like, or what the people are like. 02:36 What matters is - have we been 02:38 to the Throne of Grace this morning? 02:42 I was a P.O.W. for some time, a prisoner of war, 02:51 and I'm talking about the spiritual war... 02:53 you know that invisible battle that goes on 02:56 that you and I know about. 02:58 It's the battle between good and evil... 03:00 It's the enemy saying lies and many of us victims are bleeding. 03:08 That's the P.O.W. camp I'm talking about. 03:11 Often when we go through empty seasons, 03:15 we go through loss, we go through times when 03:17 things happen that we don't understand. 03:19 We go through misunderstandings, relationships suffer. 03:23 We find ourselves behind these bars and often our anger 03:28 is directed right at God... that's how it was for me. 03:33 I mean, I did everything a girl could do to have a healthy baby, 03:37 and all I had from that was injustice. 03:41 I did everything a girl could do, 03:43 there was nothing that I missed, ladies, nothing. 03:46 I planned for this... my mother taught me! 03:49 She had 10, I figured she'd be a 03:51 pretty good teacher, don't you think? 03:54 There was nothing that was missed and God said, "No, 04:00 you're not going to have a child today, 04:01 and you're not ever going to ever have a child." 04:03 And I found myself in this camp, empty. 04:09 Just this void, I mean, we as women, we're created 04:13 to be nurturers and I wanted something more than a 04:16 dog or a cat, but a child. 04:23 The wisest man, the most influential man, 04:29 the most powerful man that ever lived... 04:33 if he was standing here today, 04:34 this is what he would say to you... 04:40 I've seen families, large families; 04:43 I've seen people with all the money they need; 04:46 I've seen barns that are full and running over; 04:49 I've seen it all and I'm here to tell you today... 04:52 it's all empty. 04:56 Vanity, vanity - it's all empty. 04:59 Without God, it's empty. 05:01 Well you see, I thought all I needed was a baby 05:03 and I'd be full - that's all I needed to be filled was a baby. 05:08 God has to take us through these times 05:11 where He develops our faith and He trains us, 05:15 and He teaches us what's really important and the important 05:18 things have everything to do with eternity... 05:21 And if eternity isn't in the picture, we're wasting our time! 05:25 Whether it's our career, whether it's our education, 05:27 whatever it is, we are wasting our time 05:30 if it doesn't hold us and seal us for eternity. 05:36 Well after I lost the baby, people began to say... 05:39 "Donna, Donna, you gotta get on the list, 05:43 you know that adoption list, because healthy babies 05:46 are hard to come by - so get on the list. 05:49 It could take you 10 years, on that list, 05:51 before you could get through it." 05:52 And I just hung my head and I said, "I can't do it." 05:55 My husband began to nudge me, "Honey, why don't you do 05:58 the paperwork - let's get through the paperwork 06:01 so we could move forward with our dream to have a family." 06:04 I just pushed back, I can't do it, I can't DO IT. 06:09 It's like here's the catalog, open it up, point to a picture, 06:15 call it a family. 06:19 It's like applicant number 6-billion-22 06:22 goes to baby number 6-billion-22 and I came to the point, 06:27 I said, "NO, I can't do it, I'm going do the 06:30 Hannah-thing, okay honey? 06:32 I just want to do the Hannah-thing, that's all." 06:37 If we're going to be a family, it's not something we can do. 06:42 It's only something God can do, 06:43 and I want to tell you here today... 06:45 Whatever you're striving for in life, whatever that is, 06:49 if God is not directing it, it will fail. 06:54 Or, it will be just a little stream - when He has a whole 06:59 flood, a whole flood of joy and fulfillment waiting for you. 07:04 Don't go it alone, don't go it alone. 07:07 Ask Him to take you. 07:11 Seven years passed, I'm doing the Hannah-thing... 07:17 My husband is not understanding, my friends aren't understanding. 07:23 I'm doing the Hannah-thing and I'm as empty as can be, 07:27 and I want to share this with you - I shared it last night, 07:30 but I want to share it again... 07:33 When empty people sit in your congregation, 07:37 they often will sit in the back row. 07:40 They'll sit close to the door to ensure there's an easy, 07:43 fast escape because their tears will shame them to a point 07:47 that they got to get out of the room fast... 07:51 And it may not have anything to do with a baby, 07:53 it may be a different failure in life, but sometimes 07:57 it's so hard to come here and sit among God's people 08:01 because the ones that are hurting seems they're 08:05 the only ones hurting and we often forget that we are 08:11 all in the same boat. 08:13 We're all sitting on the same Titanic ship - all of us, 08:19 and it is sinking. 08:21 Praise God! 08:22 Seven years went by, we got a phone call and on 08:25 the other line they said, "Rod, Donna, we got a baby for you." 08:28 I said, "Yeah, I finally got this, God heard me." 08:31 And we named her "Nikki Marie" and I loved that little girl. 08:33 It took all of 3 seconds from the time I saw her... 08:36 No doubt she's mine, she's got my eyes, 08:40 she's got Rod's hair... she didn't have any of us. 08:43 But I thought she had it all because God had chosen 08:47 this little girl for us. 08:49 My line was so... I was FILLED! 08:53 I was just thrilled what God was doing in our life. 08:57 I was talking about Him, I was praising His name, 09:00 I didn't sit in the front of the church anymore, 09:02 I was in the front for 10 weeks. 09:05 We held this little girl, we called her our own. 09:08 We moved from our little apartment to a house. 09:11 We had a nursery, everything was done that needed to be done. 09:15 We were now a family and 10 weeks later, 09:17 that phone call came that no one wants to have come... 09:20 And the birth mother said, "I've changed my mind, 09:22 I want the baby back." 09:24 "And wait a minute, wait a minute... 09:26 This isn't the way it's supposed to go. 09:30 You're gonna take that baby back - God gave me this baby, 09:35 not you - you can't take this baby. 09:37 The law said I can have this baby - I'm taking this baby." 09:39 And I'll never forget standing in our home... 09:44 and she wanted to meet me somewhere - I said, "No." 09:47 No, the only right I have right now is to name 09:50 the time and the place of the exchange. 09:55 So we're going to do it at my house, 09:57 and we're going to do it on the Sabbath, 09:58 and I'll see you at 4 o'clock, here's the address. 10:04 And at 4 o'clock, the doorbell rang and Nikki was in my arms 10:08 where she was every day for those 10 weeks. 10:11 And that birth mother came in with no apologies, 10:15 words were not shared, our eyes didn't even meet. 10:18 She reached down, she took the baby and she walked out. 10:24 Now, I'm back to the P.O.W. camp. 10:28 And my husband - and this is why I'm so glad you men are here 10:31 because often we think that when tragedies happen, 10:34 when something goes down, 10:36 it's the woman alone that's suffering. 10:37 I want you to know my husband suffered greatly. 10:40 He went to the backyard and he had it out with God. 10:45 "Who do You think You are if You are God?" 10:48 As he is shaking his fist, "If you are God, 10:50 how did you allow this to happen; 10:53 how could You stand by and watch this happen?" 10:56 And I'm inside and I'm just filled with anger. 11:00 You know, none of this makes sense. 11:02 Everything I grew to love and know was now ripped out 11:07 from under me and that's what happens when you go through 11:12 an empty season. 11:15 You know, I can say it now, I didn't then, 11:20 I stand here ashamed that I couldn't say it then, 11:23 but I'm gonna say it now, "God was in control 11:29 of everything that went on in my life," I didn't see it, 11:33 I didn't know it, I certainly didn't admit it, 11:35 and I'm sharing it with you because He has no favorites. 11:40 That's one of the great things about God, no favorites. 11:43 What He's going to do for me, He's going to do for you. 11:45 What He's going to do for John, He's gonna do for you. 11:46 What He's going to do for anyone in this room, 11:49 He is willing to do for all of us because 11:51 that's what makes God God. 11:54 It's a love that overflows that we don't understand 11:57 because we have boundaries, we have restrictions 12:00 in our relationships, not God. 12:04 And as my anger continued to beat down on God, 12:09 my silent God began to speak to me, 12:13 this is what He said very clearly... 12:17 "Okay Donna, you wanna talk about this, let's talk about it. 12:22 Where were you when I created the world? 12:25 If you think you know everything that's supposed 12:28 to happen and how life is supposed to go, 12:30 where were you? 12:49 Tell Me Donna... If you have all the answers 12:52 tell Me. 13:10 And then Job answered... And this was my answer too. 13:29 No purpose of Yours can be withheld from me, 13:42 and I will hush and I will learn to grow 13:46 in Your will and not my own, okay? 13:52 So for those here today, let this be your story. 13:57 God is saying, "I want to ask you a few questions. 14:02 I want to draw you in, I want to help you understand 14:06 that I am God and I'm gonna take care of you." 14:11 In order to experience a flood instead of a stream, 14:16 we have some preparation to do. 14:20 We went through some of those preparations last night, 14:22 and today I want to bring another one to you. 14:24 To prepare for a flood that God has for you, 14:27 to really prepare for a flood, surrender. 14:36 We sing about it, we talk about it, 14:38 we hear sermons about it, but I'm sharing this 14:40 with you today - until you give that complete surrender, 14:43 you will not experience what God has in store for you. 14:48 I didn't. 14:50 I had to understand that where they take it apart 14:52 and put it back together. 14:53 I had to understand that in ways I never knew before... 14:56 surrender, surrender. 15:04 At the Pool of Bethesda, thousands wait 15:09 for the magic show. 15:11 The myths that are around that pool are almost unbelievable 15:16 to us today, but you see, it was all about magic. 15:19 There were five porches and I could remember walking around 15:23 that pool and it's just the story going through my mind 15:26 when we were in Jerusalem. 15:29 And there they lie, they lie there weak and dying. 15:36 It is the hospice of the day. 15:38 They lie on moldy, rotten cloth. 15:43 They lie there on concrete and dirt that means nothing. 15:48 Day and night, they wait. 15:51 They're waiting for the water to move, the magic water 15:54 to move and out of that, someone is going to be healed. 15:59 That emptiness is going to be filled. 16:02 The stream is going to turn into a flood. 16:04 So the lies go... but on this one particular day, 16:10 there is no ordinary stranger that comes to the pool. 16:16 No ordinary stranger. 16:19 And as I was standing at the Pool of Bethesda, 16:23 in my mind, I saw the picture. 16:26 I saw the man that had been crippled for 38 years, 16:29 and here I was sobbing because it had only been 7 years. 16:32 I saw him laying there, I smelled the rotten clothes 16:37 he was wearing. 16:39 I smelled the stench of death all around that pool. 16:43 And this stranger lays there, the cripple lays there, 16:50 and a stranger appears. 16:52 And though no one else may have known the cripple's name, 16:55 the Bible doesn't give us a name, 16:57 it just refers to him as a cripple, 16:59 though no one else knew that, Jesus knew his name. 17:04 And he comes over, he is blind to the things 17:08 that would have made me nauseous. 17:12 Blind - He doesn't smell it, He doesn't see it. 17:17 He goes to the cripple and He takes a knee beside him, 17:23 and He looks him right in the eye and He says, 17:27 "Do you want to get well?" 17:31 "Do you want to change?" 17:37 Now look it... I don't know how many people were 17:39 there at that pool, but there was something 17:41 about this one man that Jesus focused on. 17:45 He knew the face of this man and He went to him. 17:50 You wanna prepare for a flood? 17:55 I think Jesus is asking you the same question today. 18:00 Are you satisfied with where you are? 18:02 Are you really satisfied? 18:05 Or... or do you want to change? 18:11 That's the all-powerful God, the One that just spoke and 18:16 everything came into existence. 18:20 That's the all-powerful God asking you that question. 18:23 Are you satisfied with where you are or do you 18:27 really want to change? 18:30 And the man looks at him and he says, 18:31 "Sir, I can never make it into the magic water in time, 18:38 someone else always beats me to it." 18:42 And Jesus is still right beside him. 18:46 You want to get ready for a flood? 18:47 Here we go... 18:49 If we try to make changes on our own, we will fail every time. 18:56 If you're not happy where you are... Praise God. 19:02 The Holy Spirit is speaking to you, but don't you dare 19:05 leave this room today and try to make changes on your own, 19:08 only God can help you through those changes. 19:10 And Jesus looks at him and He said, "Okay, then rise, 19:16 take up your bed and walk." 19:21 Look at all the birds in there, "Take up your bed and walk." 19:25 How long had this man been laying on that bed? 38 years 19:31 For 38 years, those knees didn't move. 19:34 For 38 years, his feet didn't walk, for 38 years, 19:40 and God just says, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 19:45 And he did it. 19:48 Are you kidding me...? He did it! 19:54 Because God told him too and he wasn't satisfied where he was. 19:59 As I read through that story, let me tell you, 20:01 when you are down, when you are empty, 20:06 when you've lost that job, when the marriage has broken up, 20:11 when the teenagers are doing what teenagers do, 20:14 when all of that stuff is going on - head to the Bible 20:19 because there's a story there for you... 20:21 there's a story with your name on it. 20:22 Do not cut yourself short by just using the name 20:27 that's in Scripture - put your own there. 20:29 This cripple was me and what Jesus asked the cripple, 20:36 He was asking me... 20:38 "Donna, take up your cross, and follow Me." 20:47 I want you to rise from your knees right now, 20:50 take UP your cross and follow Me, 20:53 and follow Me into the Garden. 20:56 Now remember, I've been going to church my whole life. 21:00 I read my Bible, I had all this Adventist education, 21:08 but at the end of the day, Jesus was asking me to 21:11 take up my cross and follow Him into the Garden. 21:16 Think about it, friends, think about it... 21:18 Without the Garden of Eden, we wouldn't have Calvary. 21:25 There wouldn't have been a cross, 21:26 it wouldn't have happened. 21:29 It's the Garden that prepared Jesus for what was before Him. 21:33 I can remember that cool day... I got out of the bus, 21:39 and I stood on the Mt. of Olives... 21:44 I was not prepared, I was not prepared. 21:49 As I stood on the Mt. of Olives, I looked to the right, 21:53 and there is the Garden of Gethsemane. 21:55 I looked straight ahead of me and there's the Kidron Valley. 21:59 and from there is Jerusalem, the Eastern Gate... 22:03 And I stood there and it just overwhelmed me. 22:09 I began weeping - I couldn't control because the whole 22:15 story, finally I saw. 22:19 You know, Job says to God, "I always heard of You 22:24 with my ears, but now I see You with my eyes... 22:29 And that's what that was like for me at that moment. 22:32 I saw the Garden, I saw the city, I saw the gate, 22:35 the Kidron Valley, the caskets stacked 5-8 tall in that 22:40 Kidron Valley to give a message, and the Eastern Gate 22:43 is completely blocked shut with cement and the message is... 22:47 "Jesus Christ, you're not coming through here." 22:51 And I tasted, I felt the hate in that moment, 22:56 and I just wept knowing what all He did for us 23:01 in the Garden of Gethsemane... knowing what was going to 23:04 happen and what is going to happen in the near future. 23:07 In the Garden, the stakes are high. 23:10 When you go to the Garden of Gethsemane, 23:12 this is not a casual prayer. Uh uh 23:15 This isn't even family prayer. Uh uh 23:18 The stakes are high. 23:20 When you're coming before the Throne of Grace, 23:23 the stakes are high. 23:25 Here's the deal... If Satan failed here, 23:29 now remember, he failed 3 years prior to this 23:32 with the temptation and now he is going to redouble his 23:37 effort. 23:38 If Satan fails here in the Garden of Gethsemane, 23:41 his hope of mastery would be lost. 23:47 The earth would become his kingdom and the human race 23:49 would be forever in his power, unbelievable. 23:54 And what was going on there? 23:56 Jesus had brought three of His closest disciples... 23:58 He said, "Hey, guys... pray for Me, I'm going to go 24:02 talk to My Father - stay awake and pray for Me." 24:08 And He comes back and they're sleeping. 24:12 Laodicea right outside of the Garden of Eden... right there! 24:18 And He wakes them - "Can you just pray, wait, watch, pray?" 24:21 And He comes back a second time, He comes back a third time. 24:24 And do you know why Jesus was doing that? 24:26 Do you know why He kept going back? 24:28 He kept going back because He was looking for encouragement. 24:31 He kept going back because He needed to know 24:34 that He wasn't ALONE! 24:39 When you're having a Garden of Gethsemane time in your life, 24:43 you need people praying for you and encouraging you, 24:49 and that's how it was for me. 24:50 The Garden of Gethsemane is a place of... 25:07 It is in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus said, 25:14 ... and this isn't theologically correct but it's the 25:19 way I take it... it is in that Garden of 25:22 Gethsemane that Jesus said, "It is finished." 25:24 He repeated it on the cross, I get it. 25:26 But it is at that point, he said, "It is finished," 25:28 because He said, "Not My will but Your will be done." 25:32 And once we give it over to God, it's over! 25:34 Satan loses! Come on! 25:40 He's outta here! He LOSES! 25:42 And that's what we're looking for... You got it... it's over! 25:49 I surrendered my bucket list to God. 25:57 And the world has us convinced 26:00 that it's all about having a bucket list... 26:03 All of our dreams, all of our plans, 26:05 all of our goals, things we're going to do in this life, 26:07 you only live once, let me tell you what... 26:08 That bucket list has nothing to do with 26:12 God's will for you and me. 26:15 My bucket list looked like this... 26:16 You know what? I want 4 newborn babies, Lord. 26:19 And make sure they're all healthy. 26:21 I want them all to be Caucasian. 26:23 I want them all to have dark hair and dark eyes just like me. 26:26 That's my bucket list! 26:29 I want to bring them home from the hospital. 26:32 Just as though I had given birth - maybe then 26:34 they'll be some justice to all the injustice 26:36 that was done to me. 26:40 God says, "I want you to give up your bucket list, 26:44 and trust Me with My will in your life, okay?" 26:49 That's what God is really like. 26:51 Let me tell ya - my heart just, I just plead for words to 26:55 share with you because week after week, I stand before a 27:00 congregation and I see it, I see it in their eyes, 27:06 I see it in your eyes... 27:08 We think we're just trapped in this world... 27:11 We're just like a hamster in a cage going around and around. 27:16 We think that and it's only because we haven't given 27:22 our will to Him and said, "Lord, not my will, 27:25 but Your will be done. 27:26 I gotta tell ya, I'm doing a Bible study with someone 27:30 that I have fallen in love with. 27:32 She's a stripper at the local club and I've never been 27:39 to the club - if she invited me, I would go, 27:41 but I've never been to the club. 27:45 And when she comes and she shares with me what it's like, 27:48 my heart breaks and it should break your heart too. 27:54 The reason why is because she doesn't think there's any hope. 27:58 The reason why is because she's listening to the lies, 28:01 the lies that say, "You're worth nothing." 28:06 And when we go into these empty seasons, 28:08 that's often what we listen to because we're not 28:11 spending time in the Garden, because it's in the garden that 28:15 we trade in our bucket list. 28:17 She wants to be beautiful, she wants to feel accepted, 28:19 she wants to feel loved and it's never gonna happen on the pole. 28:24 That's not where it going to take place. 28:28 It's going to happen in that secret Garden place. 28:31 All right, let's prepare for a flood... 28:35 If you're looking for more than a stream of joy in your life, 28:38 if you're here today, you're looking for more than just a 28:40 little bit of hope, you're looking for just a 28:43 little bit of happiness and you really want a flood, 28:45 you need to surrender. 28:49 Surrender precedes the flood. Say that with me... 28:54 Surrender precedes the flood. Louder... 28:58 The surrender precedes the flood. That's what it's like. 29:04 All right... the years are going by. 29:08 It's two weeks before Christmas, I get a phone call. 29:12 Donna, Donna - we got a baby for you! 29:15 And I'm in complete neutral. Why? 29:19 Because it's not my will that matters anymore - it's His will. 29:24 Donna, we got a baby for you, this is a newborn. 29:27 Oh, this is going to be a beautiful baby - a perfect baby. 29:30 When can we meet? 29:33 And I said, "Well, I tell you what - you know, 29:35 um, my husband, he's not here right now, 29:38 give us a couple of days to really pray through this, 29:41 and discuss it and I'll call you back." 29:45 Emotions are intact - ladies that's a big thing for us. 29:50 Emotions are intact. 29:55 The next day, I get a call again. 29:59 They said, "Donna, we're just really anxious 30:01 for you to meet the birth mother." 30:03 I said, "Well you know, Rod and I, we're just trying to 30:06 work our way through, you know, give us a little more time, 30:09 and I will call you." 30:11 The next day, the birth mother called me! 30:14 And she says, "Hey, you don't know me, but I know your story, 30:18 and I know you and I just really believe that you're to be 30:25 the mother for this baby." 30:28 And I looked at Rod and I said, "Rod, I think we need to 30:31 meet - let's go meet this lady." 30:35 It was on a Sabbath afternoon, we drove down to their house. 30:37 Here's their story... They had three little girls 30:40 and they separated, the husband and wife. 30:44 He went to live with another woman and she went 30:46 to live with another man. 30:48 Someone, someone knocked on the door where the husband 30:55 was staying and said, "I'd like to offer you Bible studies, 30:58 are you interested?" 31:00 He said, "Yeah, I'll take those Bible studies." "What, what?" 31:04 "Yeah, I'll take those Bible studies." 31:05 Okay, we're going to get studying and at the end of the 31:09 studies, he took them to church with him and there he met 31:14 his Seventh-day Adventist family. 31:18 And then he went to the pastor and he said, "You know, I'm in a 31:20 situation - I'm living with someone and my wife and 31:27 three children are in another place." 31:30 And the man of God said, "You need to reconcile 31:33 with your wife." 31:35 He went back to reconcile with his wife and he went back 31:37 to be with her... she's pregnant with another child, 31:39 someone else's child. 31:42 And through prayer and study, they decided the very best 31:45 thing for that child - because they already had three, 31:47 the very best thing for that child would be to find 31:49 a home where she could be adopted and loved forever. 31:55 And that's when we got the call. 31:57 So on New Year's Day, January 1, we arrived at the hospital, 32:02 just in time - to see this little bundle going from 32:06 delivery room to nursery room and I'm telling ya, 32:10 you want to see a walking miracle? 32:13 Do you want to see that? Say "yes." YES! 32:16 "Tonya," my daughter, would you stand up please. 32:26 There she is... there she is. 32:30 Incredible! My line was full, I tell ya! 32:32 I was just so overjoyed... now it's like 32:34 God, You are alive, You're real! 32:37 We did it Your way for a change. 32:41 Three months later, we're driving home from church, 32:44 and we pull in our driveway, I mentioned to my husband, 32:47 I said, "I think this car is following us, 32:50 we're being stalked." 32:52 And we pull in the driveway and we get out of the car, 32:57 and here's a doctor - he says, "Rod, Donna, you guys moved. 33:00 I've been looking all over for you." 33:01 I said, "Yeah, we moved." 33:03 He said, "Listen, I've got a baby for you." 33:05 I said, "We got a baby!" 33:06 He said, "Now you guys need another baby!" Laughter 33:11 And God said... 33:29 Don't even try to imagine what God has in store for you. 33:38 Three months later, we're in the hospital - just in time 33:43 to see the baby going from the delivery room to the nursery 33:46 and this is Tyler Rodney. It's just incredible! 33:51 And now, our life is full, totally completely full. 33:56 What God has done for us, we're so satisfied, 34:00 we're so excited! 34:02 Five years later... hold on to yourselves, I know you guys, 34:06 don't get ahead of the story. 34:07 Five years later, laughter, you got it all figured out! 34:12 Five years later, it's Christmastime and I'm 34:16 sitting in bed - Tonya is on one side, Tyler is on the 34:19 other side - we're going through the little Christmas story, 34:21 and Tonya says, "Mommy, were we born in a barn too?" 34:30 And I said, "No, no, no Tonya... You see, we always knew 34:35 we would tell them about adoption, 34:36 we just didn't know when the time was right. 34:39 Well the time was right. 34:40 She wanted to know if she was born in a barn, 34:42 that's an open-ended question for an adoptive mom. 34:46 And I shot up a prayer, "God, what am I going to tell 34:51 Your daughter, Tonya?" 34:53 And I looked at her and I said, "Honey, you weren't born 34:56 in a barn, you were born under my heart and you were 35:00 born the same way the King of the universe was born." 35:06 "We prayed for you and God brought you to us." 35:11 To Him be the honor and glory. 35:15 Gave them a kiss, tucked them in, stepped out into the hall, 35:17 shhoo - made it through that without Rod. 35:20 Where are you when I need you most! 35:24 And I heard some noise in the room, I go back up, 35:29 and here's 5-year-old Tonya and Tyler - they're kneeling 35:32 beside their bed and this is what they're saying... 35:35 "Jesus, if you'll give us a baby brother, 35:39 mom and dad will help us take care of him." Laughter 35:45 I'm like - how do I explain this to these kids, you know? 35:49 We haven't even talked about the birds and the bees yet! 35:51 How am I gonna get through this? 35:54 Well, 15 months later, the phone rang. 36:01 The doctor said, "Rod, Donna, I got a baby for you." 36:05 "A what?" "Yeah, yeah, I got a baby 36:08 for you." "How did this come about?" 36:09 "Well, he's a part of a group, there are five obstetricians 36:12 in this group - he was not on call this night, 36:14 the phone rings and they say, "Listen, we've got someone here 36:17 you really need to come in and see - he said, "No, I'm not 36:19 on call - call someone else." Hangs up the phone. 36:22 It's like - I just felt impressed, I needed to go... 36:27 He goes to the hospital, walks in and this woman is 36:30 in abdominal pain, takes her right into delivery, 36:34 delivers that baby and she looks up at him and she 36:36 says, "Doc, do you know of anyone 36:39 that would take this baby?" 36:41 He said, "Well yes, I do, I do!" 36:43 And he picked up the phone and he called us. 36:46 And we were on a plane within 2 hours with some really 36:50 important people - Tonya and Tyler, little bit of luggage, 36:54 and off we were going to get their little brother. 36:57 A miracle! A miracle! 37:00 The Garden of Eden is holy ground. 37:05 That's where you go when you're wanting to know 37:08 what God has in store for you, it's holy ground. 37:13 Well, what's the title here? 37:17 "Why Settle for a Stream When You Can Have a Flood" 37:22 Our lives were full, we were just flowing over. 37:27 So thankful for what God was doing, 37:30 but God wasn't done. 37:32 Remember that tent thing? "Don't limit your 37:35 imaginations," remember that? 37:37 It's real. It's real. 37:40 We thought all was well until the phone rang... 37:44 And you know, at some point, you gotta stop 37:46 answering the phone. Laughter 37:48 But not yet... The phone rang, "Rod, Donna, 37:52 we got a baby for you!" 37:55 I want to introduce you to Bryce Robert. 38:00 And now, the line is full... 38:01 I want to share with you our family. Aww 38:04 This was last Christmas. 38:07 You know, I'm so glad that God gave us a family 38:15 on this side of heaven; however, had He chosen 38:22 to give us that family on the other side of heaven, 38:25 it was the faithfulness that mattered to Him. 38:28 It wasn't the number of children. 38:30 It wasn't all the little miracles. 38:32 What really mattered to Him is, "Will you be faithful to Me 38:36 regardless of how things work out, 38:38 regardless of your bucket list, will you be faithful to Me?" 38:43 If you're looking for a flood, you gotta prepare for it folks, 38:46 you gotta get ready for it. 38:56 Don't limit your imagination! 38:59 Reset the stakes, stretch out your tent. 39:02 God wants to deliver some mighty, mighty 39:04 things for you and that is where you will find Him 39:09 at the Throne of Grace. 39:12 Now before I leave, I love this story, 39:14 it's exciting, but there's a seriousness I want to 39:18 leave you with today... Okay? Are you ready? 39:21 Here's what's going on, the great controversy 39:25 between heaven, between Christ and Satan 39:28 is soon going to close and Satan redoubles his efforts 39:38 to defeat the work of Christ in man's behalf... 39:43 And to fasten souls with doubt, with frustration, with anger, 39:48 with disappoint - that's what Satan is in the 39:51 business of doing. 39:52 He's going to fasten people to him, to his snares, 39:57 and he's going to hold them there. 40:00 This is a real enemy, you guys, a real enemy. 40:05 His only goal is to hold us in disappointment and 40:08 hurt and pain and in darkness and in impenitence 40:16 until Jesus stands up and He says, "It is finished." 40:22 And there is no longer a sacrifice for sin, 40:24 and without a sacrifice for sin, there's no more hope. 40:31 This is the object which he seeks to accomplish. 40:38 My guess is - there are people here today that have 40:42 stories about how God has worked in their life 40:45 much more exciting than my story - that's my guess. 40:49 The real thing, the real reason we're here today 40:54 is to recognize that time is short. 40:57 Look, I know what it's like to be tired at the end of the day. 41:03 I know what it's like to work 40+ hours and then 41:08 work with my church, and then my family, 41:11 and now my little granddaughters... 41:13 I know what all of that is like, but in the middle of that, 41:16 God is saying, "There's a stripper that I need you 41:20 to talk to." 41:26 In the middle of my mother's aging years, 41:30 she is my hero. 41:32 In the middle of her aging years and she's tired, 41:36 and I see her hands and they're a little gnarly, 41:39 and in the middle of that, you know what she does? 41:42 I call her Sunday morning, "Mom, where are you?" 41:44 "Well, I'm down at the church." 41:46 Of course, you know, I don't know why we don't have a 41:48 bed there for her yet. 41:49 "Well I'm down at the church." "Mom, what are you doing today?" 41:51 "Well, you know, honey, I just thought we needed to plant 41:54 some flowers out front, it could encourage somebody 41:56 that's driving by." Okay? Okay? - picture. 42:02 We are all busy and I just want to share with you, 42:07 there are people in this neighborhood, 42:08 there's people in the grocery line, 42:10 there's people that you work with, 42:11 there's people that your kids go to school with... 42:13 All of this is around you and God is saying, 42:16 "I want to use you to enlarge My kingdom." 42:20 And He can't do it until we get to the Garden. 42:25 Come to the Garden, come to the Garden and sense 42:30 and hear that soft whisper in your ear... 42:34 "I want you to do this, I want you to go here." 42:37 "There's someone waiting." 42:40 Be that... be that... maybe it's the Ethiopian. 42:47 And he's saying - you know, "Will you teach me, 42:50 because if you don't teach me, who will?" 42:52 And that's what God is calling us for today. 42:57 It's great to have "Women's Ministry Weekend." 43:00 I think women have a lot of needs. 43:02 I think men have a lot of needs. 43:03 I think teenagers have a lot of needs... we all do. 43:05 What's important is what we leave here with. 43:08 And what we leave here with is... God's got a flood! 43:12 He's got a flood planned for us. 43:15 And we can experience it on this side of heaven. 43:20 In closing, I want to re-invite you to this afternoon. 43:27 Don, would you please take a stand - Don and Lisa, 43:30 would you stand please. 43:31 Lisa is going to be presenting, "Filled at the Well Today" 43:36 And what I didn't realize is the powerhouse 43:40 that's beside her... this is Don and Don has 43:43 a lot to say to men in this world today. 43:46 Come and listen to them. 43:48 Nicole, can you stand... 43:50 Nicole is another incredible young woman and you know what? 43:54 She's going to present this afternoon, "Filled at the Altar" 43:58 If you miss it, I'm sorry. 44:03 Thank you, Nicole. 44:04 I want to extend a warm invitation to you 44:07 to come because God has a whole lot more 44:10 that He wants to fill our lives with. 44:12 We have been filled at the table. 44:14 We've been filled at the Throne of Grace, 44:16 and He's not done, so why should you be! 44:20 Come this afternoon, we look forward to seeing you 44:23 and getting to know you, let us pray. 44:25 Father, We stand in awe at Your 44:30 mercy, at Your omnipotent power. 44:34 We stand humbly before Your Throne of Grace knowing that 44:40 without the sacrifice that You and Your Son and all of heaven 44:45 has made for us, we would be lost. 44:48 We would be left for the enemy to do with us what he pleases. 44:52 Thank You for rescuing us. 44:54 Lord, thank You for Your invitation to re-create us. 44:59 We don't have to stay and remain where we are, 45:02 we can change. 45:03 Thank you Father for asking each of us to take up our 45:07 cross, whatever that may be and follow You 45:11 into the Garden. 45:12 We love you, Lord. 45:14 We long to see You face-to-face. 45:17 We are so excited about the bride becoming 45:21 the wife and until that day, Lord, hold on to us we pray... 45:26 In the name of Jesus... Amen |
Revised 2017-12-20