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Cailin: Welcome everyone to
Faith and Purpose podcast.

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Each episode of this podcast contains the
personal testimony of an ordinary person

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transformed by an extraordinary God.

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My name is Caitlin and I'm
here to introduce this podcast

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for my friend Jesse Duke.

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Jesse is a husband, father, author,
life recovery guide, lay counselor,

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and small group leader, but his
most important role is disciple.

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As a disciple of Jesus.

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Jesse created this podcast to help other
believers tell their faith stories.

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We'll be hearing the personal
testimonies of all sorts of people

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who have one thing in common,
Jesus has transformed their lives.

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Jesus used parables because he created
us to learn best through story.

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And as we listen to how God has worked
in others lives, we find encouragement

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and inspiration for our own faith walk.

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Whether you are already a believer, or
just a curious seeker, we believe that

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as you listen to these stories, you will
be encouraged on your own faith journey.

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We are sure that God can speak to you
through one of these episodes, and that

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you will see that our Heavenly Father
truly works all things together for

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our good, When we simply love and trust
him if you are currently going through

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a trial We believe that you will come
to see that your troubles Heartbreaks

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and failures are not gravestones, but
stepping stones into new life in Christ.

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Here's Jesse with today's guest

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Welcome to Faith and Purpose Podcast.

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Today, in our very first
episode, we have Dr.

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Lindsey Powell of
Chesterfield, South Carolina.

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Lindsey's doctorate is in evangelism,
and he's been a Christian for half a

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century and a pastor for many years.

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It was actually one of his
sermons that he, God used to

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motivate me to start this podcast.

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So thank you for that, Lindsey, and thank
you for being here and being willing

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to tell your faith story and being a
guinea pig on my very first episode.

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So tell us about your faith
story and your purpose.

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Well, great.

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I, I really appreciate you
inviting me to do this, Jesse.

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It's been a lot of fun preparing for it.

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And, uh, it's, uh, first
time I've ever actually.

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I've never done a podcast like this,
so I do appreciate the invitation.

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I was born almost 75 years ago, and I
feel very fortunate, first of all, to

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have had God give me that length of time.

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It hasn't been without its ups and downs.

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I've had heart issues and things like
that, but I've also had a tremendous

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number of good times as well.

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So as I look back on my life, I'm just
thankful to God, thankful to Jesus Christ.

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For what he has done in my life.

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So I'd like to tell you
a little bit about that.

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I was born on November the
2nd, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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After a couple of days in the
hospital, I, to my hometown where

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I grew up, little town South of
Atlanta called Jackson, Georgia.

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My father and mother were Morrell
Powell and Louise Powell, and they

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raised me there in Jackson, Georgia.

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On third street, and I was also taken
to church most every Sunday of my life.

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And so I grew up in Jackson,
Georgia, and also in the first

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Baptist church of Jackson.

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My dad owned a hardware store and later
on in life, he sold insurance and.

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Dabbled in real estate, buying
and selling real estate.

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It's kind of funny for him because
he was a Christian all his life

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and he depended on the Lord.

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He was a hard worker and he
actually made more money after he.

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Retired than he did, uh, in his early
days, God blessed him tremendously.

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He lived to be almost a hundred years old.

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My mother was an elementary
school teacher and a great mother.

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So I grew up in Jackson, Georgia.

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It was a small town at
the time I was there.

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Not many people moved in and
not many people moved out.

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So I had a lot of constant friends, but
very few new friends, just an old friend.

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And we grew up together there.

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In those years, I knew about God,
but I didn't know him personally.

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And I don't know if you can really
understand the difference between

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that, but I would listen to sermons
and I would go to Sunday school

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and I would be told about God.

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I would read about God in the
Bible, but there's a great

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difference in knowing about God.

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And knowing God, I attended
Jackson Elementary School and

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Jackson High School, graduated
from Jackson High School in 1966.

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During those growing up years, as I
mentioned earlier, I attended church

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most every Sunday, Sunday morning,
usually a Sunday night, Wednesday night.

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I was also taught to do things that
were right, do the proper thing.

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I wasn't taught so much.

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About God's direction in that
it was more like, this is

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something that I ought to do.

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This is the way I ought to behave.

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And so it wasn't really related
to the Bible all that much.

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Like I try to be today.

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My father suggested that I be a boy scout.

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So I started out in the cub scouts and.

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Then went on to be a, a Boy Scout and I
have never forgotten the Boy Scout oath.

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It says this, on my honor, I will
do my best to do my duty to God and

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my country to obey the Scout law,
to help other people at all times,

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to keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake and morally straight.

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And I just thought that was very
interesting for the Boy Scouts

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considering what they are today
and how they've incorporated.

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gay, homosexual people
into that organization.

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Big difference between
what it was and what it is.

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The Boy Scout law is also interesting.

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It says that a Boy Scout is
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,

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courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

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That's right.

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I got to memorize too.

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And so you begin to think about
how things like that, the boy.

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Boy Scout Oath relates to Jesus Christ.

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And of course, if you know about
Jesus, you can see some relationship

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there, but if you have no clue about
who Jesus is or who God is, then

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when you say, do my duty to God in my
country, God could be Allah, God could

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be any idol, God could be anything.

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And so there's really a difference
in the Boy Scout Oath, as good

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as that is, and Christian faith.

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Boy Scout motto, though, is be prepared.

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And so I've always tried to be prepared.

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And now looking at it from a Christian
point of view, I'm preparing myself, not

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just for heaven, but for the life that
God wants me to live down here on earth.

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I, as I said, I attended First
Baptist Church Jackson regularly.

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Most of my friends also
attended church there.

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Some, though, were other denominations
who were Catholic, not too many,

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but a good number were Methodist.

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And Presbyterian also, and in the
Baptist church, as I was growing

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up, I was a royal ambassador.

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I don't know if, uh, many non Baptists
would know what a royal ambassador is,

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but you can kind of imagine you put the
two words together, royal and ambassador.

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It means that you're an ambassador
for Christ and second Corinthians 520.

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Talks about that.

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It says we are ambassadors for Christ.

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So we go out and we share
Christ with other people.

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And we do mission work
and we help other people.

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So the Royal Ambassador Pledge is a
little more, a lot more actually Christian

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oriented than the Boy Scout oath was.

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The Royal Ambassador Pledge says this.

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As a Royal Ambassador, I will do
my best to become a well informed,

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responsible follower of Christ.

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So it's a big difference
there, doing what's right.

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Doing the right thing and
being a follower of Christ.

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Some people tend to want to, uh,
say those are the same things.

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They're definitely not, but to be a
responsible follower of Christ, to have

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a Christ like concern for all people, to
learn how the message of Christ is carried

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around the world, to work with others in
sharing Christ, and to keep myself clean

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and healthy in mind and body with Jesus.

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He changes your life with the Boy Scout
oath and the Boy Scout motto and all that.

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It, the focus is on you and what you do
and what you can do and what you should

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do, but with Christ, it's different
because when Christ comes into your

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life, would you repent of your sin,
acknowledge the fact that you're sinful

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and acknowledge the truth that you
need a savior, somebody to, to change

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you to come into your life Pardon
those sins, to forgive those sins,

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and to make you a different person.

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That's what Christ does.

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And so to become a follower of him does
not really focus so much on you as it

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is on what Christ can do through you.

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Even though I was baptized as a church
member when I was eight years old, made

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a profession of faith in Jesus Christ,
there comes a time in church lives where

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your pastor, your Sunday school teacher.

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It's gonna begin to tell you about
your need for what we call salvation.

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Salvation means to be not just saved
for heaven, as I mentioned earlier,

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but to be saved for what God wants you
to do in your life as you follow him.

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And so part of that salvation
experience requires repentance of

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your sin, knowledge that your sinful
went and repent of those sins and

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turn to Christ for his forgiveness.

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And for his power.

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And so when we do that, what happens
if we're serious about what we are

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doing, if we really believe that Jesus
is who he says he is, and we commit

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our life to him, acknowledging our
own sinfulness and his sinlessness.

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Then what he does through his
Holy Spirit, he fills us with

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himself and he begins to change us.

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He changes us in so many ways, almost
every way, but he changes our physical

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desires, our likes, our dislikes.

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He changes our purpose in life, the
way we see life, the way we understand

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life, and he makes us basically a
new creature, a different person.

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We're typically focused on ourselves,
but when we become a believer in

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Jesus Christ, That focus tends to
change from ourselves to Jesus Christ.

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It's interesting, too, when we read the
Bible, for instance, most of us, just to

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be honest, myself included, we tend to
look at the Bible, how can this affect me?

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What's in here for me?

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What does this tell me about me?

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What does it tell me about
what I should do, or where I

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should go, or what I should say?

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But really, as we study the Bible, what
we really Need to do is to focus on God

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because the Bible is primarily about God,
not about me and in telling us about God,

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who God is, what he's like, we know that
we're supposed to be that way as well.

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And that's what God, as he works
through us through the, uh, the Holy

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Spirit of God, he makes us that way.

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And of course, it's not an
overnight thing, but it's a process.

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Process that theologians call
sanctification, which means we become

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more and more like Jesus Christ.

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As I grew up, I graduated
from high school in 1966.

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And for those of you who might remember,
or for those of us who really are

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too young to remember, a Vietnam War
was going on at that particular time.

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And I decided what I would do is go to
college instead of going to Vietnam.

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And at that particular time, if you went
to college, you had a draft deferment.

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There was a draft process going
on in America at that time.

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If you became eligible for the draft,
then you were likely to be called

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up, to go into the military and
perhaps ultimately go to Vietnam.

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And so I went to Georgia Tech
and, and while I was there, I,

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Wanted to go into the military.

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That was my long term goal.

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Hadn't been for years since I was a
boy, to be a pilot, Air Force pilot.

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And so while I was at Georgia Tech,
I enrolled into the Air Force ROTC

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program and was in it for two years,
two of the four years that I was there.

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At the end of those first two
years, I just, I don't know what

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happened, but I lost my focus.

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I don't know.

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I just became so unenamored
with the military that I.

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Didn't really care for it
anymore for some reason.

00:14:45.293 --> 00:14:51.183
But anyway, I got out of the Air
Force ROTC program and then when I

00:14:51.203 --> 00:14:56.883
was just about to graduate in 1970,
they changed the draft rules and they

00:14:56.883 --> 00:14:59.473
came up with this draft number thing.

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And it was all based
on when you were born.

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I was born on November the 2nd of the
year I was born and each birthday, it's

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366 days counting February the 29th.

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And.

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You had a draft number and the
lower your number, the more

00:15:18.903 --> 00:15:20.453
likely you were to be called up.

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Well, my number happened to be 69,
which out of 366, that's a low number.

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And so I knew that I was
about to be called up.

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And so I went ahead and I joined the
air force and I wasn't interested in

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studying for the officer qualifying exam.

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I didn't do well on the exam.

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And so I wasn't accepted into the
officer training program, even

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though I was a college graduate.

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So I went ahead and enlisted,
hoping I could become an officer

00:15:55.103 --> 00:15:56.973
somewhere later on in the process.

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Now, by that time, I
was living far from God.

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As I mentioned, I had been baptized when
I was eight years old, but when I hit

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about 14, I just, I quit living for God.

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I mean, I was a secular person.

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Living for myself, living for
the world, living for fun.

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And that's the way I remained
up through my college career

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and a few years beyond that.

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So when I enlisted in the air force,
they sent me to Travis Air Force Base,

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California to be in aircraft maintenance.

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And I worked there for a few months.

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And one day I was passing by the
general's office there, wing commander.

00:16:45.858 --> 00:16:47.028
It was a general at the time.

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And, uh, his name, I believe, if
I'm not mistaken, his name was

00:16:51.393 --> 00:16:53.003
Brigadier General Grimmelrod.

00:16:54.093 --> 00:16:59.103
And I passed by his office and it
was, I can look back on it now and

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I can see it was God leading me.

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But at the time I just
thought I had this idea.

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Maybe I ought to go talk to this guy.

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If there's anybody who'd give
me a good recommendation, it

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would be the wing commander.

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And so I just went into his office.

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I was just a one stripe airman, you
know, and walked into his office.

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And I told his first
sergeant what I wanted.

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And I guess I expected him to
just usher me right into the

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office to talk to the general.

00:17:26.648 --> 00:17:28.028
But of course he didn't do that.

00:17:28.588 --> 00:17:31.618
He said, well, you go on about your
way and we'll call you if you've

00:17:31.618 --> 00:17:33.388
got an appointment with the general.

00:17:34.888 --> 00:17:39.788
Well, I left the office and then it,
again, it was like an understanding

00:17:39.788 --> 00:17:43.918
came into my mind and say, I
think I've just made a mistake.

00:17:43.928 --> 00:17:47.558
I think I've bypassed a whole lot of
people and going straight to the general.

00:17:47.558 --> 00:17:49.288
And that may make somebody mad.

00:17:50.268 --> 00:17:53.268
And so I went to my commander, my.

00:17:53.708 --> 00:17:57.248
Lieutenant commander, and then he
went to his squadron commander.

00:17:57.248 --> 00:17:59.758
I didn't know this at the time, but
he of course went to his squadron

00:17:59.788 --> 00:18:01.618
commander and began to work up the chain.

00:18:03.138 --> 00:18:08.828
And I had retaken the air force officer
qualifying test and did really well on it.

00:18:09.818 --> 00:18:14.918
And so I didn't know whether I was going
to be accepted in this program or not.

00:18:15.928 --> 00:18:18.038
And I got a call from the first sergeant.

00:18:18.048 --> 00:18:22.038
He said, you've got a report with
the general tomorrow at 10 o'clock.

00:18:23.448 --> 00:18:26.458
And so I thank God.

00:18:27.703 --> 00:18:30.853
And I said, God, you've,
you're really helping me out.

00:18:32.033 --> 00:18:35.533
And for so often during this
period of time, I would thank

00:18:35.533 --> 00:18:38.093
God and pray to God for help.

00:18:38.343 --> 00:18:39.953
Thank him for the help that he gave me.

00:18:40.523 --> 00:18:44.413
And many times when it was a really
serious issue, I would promise

00:18:44.413 --> 00:18:46.023
him that I would do this if.

00:18:46.823 --> 00:18:52.953
He would help me and lo and behold,
Jesse, every time that I would ask

00:18:52.953 --> 00:18:56.813
for help, he would help me in some
way, shape or form to accomplish

00:18:56.813 --> 00:18:58.423
what it was that I was trying to do.

00:18:58.463 --> 00:18:59.963
He never failed at that.

00:19:01.343 --> 00:19:06.413
Now I failed and I didn't do what
I promised him, but he did what he

00:19:06.463 --> 00:19:09.153
promised me or what I had asked for.

00:19:09.943 --> 00:19:13.583
So the next morning at 10 o'clock,
I walked into the general's office

00:19:13.583 --> 00:19:15.133
and I had thought all night.

00:19:15.748 --> 00:19:20.208
About what I could tell him and why I
should get this particular recommendation

00:19:20.218 --> 00:19:22.878
for officer candidate school.

00:19:24.238 --> 00:19:28.138
And I walked in there and I saluted
him and told him what I wanted.

00:19:28.408 --> 00:19:32.918
And he said, airman Fowley
said, my secretary is mapping up

00:19:32.918 --> 00:19:34.078
your recommendation right now.

00:19:34.628 --> 00:19:34.818
Who?

00:19:34.848 --> 00:19:37.878
Because what, what he, what he had done
is he had gone and he had checked with

00:19:37.888 --> 00:19:39.218
the squadron commander and he had checked.

00:19:39.718 --> 00:19:41.028
On me and everything.

00:19:41.038 --> 00:19:44.668
And so that's what God does for us.

00:19:44.898 --> 00:19:46.588
And Jesse, that's what he does.

00:19:46.588 --> 00:19:48.278
He does it in strange ways.

00:19:48.798 --> 00:19:49.458
He does it.

00:19:49.468 --> 00:19:52.718
He works these things out, even
when you don't realize it, when

00:19:52.718 --> 00:19:54.208
you don't realize what's going on.

00:19:55.248 --> 00:19:59.878
Sometimes even when you have the
furthest thoughts in your mind about

00:19:59.878 --> 00:20:06.418
God, he is working, standing in the
shadows, you might say, working out.

00:20:07.608 --> 00:20:09.758
And so I was accepted and.

00:20:10.158 --> 00:20:16.218
Went to pilot training at Webb Air
Force Tech, Texas, graduated from

00:20:16.518 --> 00:20:22.788
pilot training, selected, uh, Uh, C 130
aircraft when you, when you graduate,

00:20:22.978 --> 00:20:26.988
you can select whatever aircraft you
want that's available at the time.

00:20:28.158 --> 00:20:32.428
And there was a C 130, which
is a tactical airlift aircraft.

00:20:33.188 --> 00:20:39.628
And it was on its way to
actually stationed in Taiwan.

00:20:40.398 --> 00:20:44.008
And, and then of course we would fly from
there into Southeast Asia, into Vietnam

00:20:44.008 --> 00:20:46.068
and Thailand and other, other areas there.

00:20:47.278 --> 00:20:52.288
So I went there and got involved in the
Vietnam war as it began to be phased out.

00:20:52.878 --> 00:20:58.808
I actually got there in early 73,
and in early 73 was, was when the

00:20:58.818 --> 00:21:03.518
war was, was winding down, the
prisons of war were returning home.

00:21:04.398 --> 00:21:08.698
As I was coming through Travis at the
time, I got to see them actually come.

00:21:09.978 --> 00:21:14.778
And then I went over there to survival
school in the Philippines and then on

00:21:14.778 --> 00:21:16.958
into Taiwan and then on into Vietnam.

00:21:17.923 --> 00:21:21.063
Where there was still war going
on in that area and particularly

00:21:21.063 --> 00:21:27.003
in Cambodia, we would be stationed
out of Thailand and we'd fly into

00:21:27.363 --> 00:21:29.843
Vietnam and Cambodia quite often.

00:21:30.943 --> 00:21:37.523
And we even fly up to Hanoi and North
Vietnam to have some talks up there,

00:21:37.533 --> 00:21:41.803
like the Americans and the South
Vietnamese and North Vietnamese and

00:21:41.803 --> 00:21:44.773
the Viet Cong talk on these talks.

00:21:44.773 --> 00:21:50.243
So we got to do a lot of traveling
over there during that particular time.

00:21:51.238 --> 00:21:56.008
I returned back to the United
States in 1974, and when I got

00:21:56.018 --> 00:21:59.758
back, I was just in a, in turmoil.

00:22:00.058 --> 00:22:04.478
I think perhaps some of our listeners
can understand this, but sometimes

00:22:04.478 --> 00:22:10.368
in your life, for various reasons,
you're just totally unsatisfied.

00:22:11.208 --> 00:22:12.298
You might be ashamed.

00:22:12.828 --> 00:22:13.983
You might feel guilty.

00:22:14.933 --> 00:22:19.093
You might have desires that are
unfulfilled, or you might have

00:22:19.093 --> 00:22:22.873
desires that have been fulfilled that
you realize were the wrong desires.

00:22:23.483 --> 00:22:27.943
But whatever the reason may be,
you're just totally unhappy.

00:22:29.463 --> 00:22:31.553
And I knew that I needed something.

00:22:31.553 --> 00:22:32.763
I knew I needed some help.

00:22:34.423 --> 00:22:40.393
And I was in there, my quarters, at
Little Rock Air Force Base where I had

00:22:40.393 --> 00:22:44.333
come back to continue flying C 130s
out of Little Rock Air Force Base.

00:22:45.693 --> 00:22:50.403
I've turned on the TV and
interestingly enough, Billy

00:22:50.403 --> 00:22:52.453
Graham was preaching a sermon.

00:22:52.463 --> 00:22:58.073
He was having a crusade in Tempe, Arizona,
and he preached a sermon on the devil.

00:22:58.073 --> 00:22:58.673
I don't remember.

00:22:58.703 --> 00:23:03.083
I remember it was about the devil,
but that wasn't my big interest.

00:23:03.843 --> 00:23:05.593
I just knew I needed Jesus Christ.

00:23:06.908 --> 00:23:10.698
So I don't remember anything particular
about his message, except for the title

00:23:10.838 --> 00:23:17.058
or the subject, but I got down on my knees
right there, watching Billy Graham on TV.

00:23:17.458 --> 00:23:20.988
And I asked Jesus to save me, you
know, asking me to come into my life.

00:23:20.988 --> 00:23:26.888
I repented of my sin and I just asked
him and he changed my life, Jesse.

00:23:27.578 --> 00:23:30.248
And it wasn't really an overnight thing.

00:23:30.248 --> 00:23:32.278
I wasn't that dramatic.

00:23:33.213 --> 00:23:38.193
But something did happen overnight,
there was a relief, there was a peace

00:23:38.203 --> 00:23:40.343
that came over me that very first night.

00:23:41.303 --> 00:23:45.503
And then as time went on, a greater
sense of peace, a greater sense of

00:23:45.503 --> 00:23:51.123
Jesus presence all around me, a greater
understanding of how he was working

00:23:51.123 --> 00:23:53.703
and what he was doing in my life.

00:23:55.483 --> 00:23:56.823
And, uh, I've always.

00:23:56.898 --> 00:24:01.158
I wondered when I was actually
saved, was I saved at eight when

00:24:01.158 --> 00:24:02.288
I made a profession of faith?

00:24:02.288 --> 00:24:06.778
Was I saved at, that time I
was, I guess I was about 24.

00:24:08.508 --> 00:24:13.578
And I, I would, if it were me saying,
I would say at 24 because that was

00:24:13.578 --> 00:24:16.838
when I was really serious and have
been serious about it ever since.

00:24:18.488 --> 00:24:20.838
God is, is a graceful God.

00:24:21.968 --> 00:24:26.708
And God will do great and mighty
things if we give him an opportunity.

00:24:27.938 --> 00:24:32.468
So whenever he worked in my, began
to work in my life, whether it was at

00:24:32.478 --> 00:24:35.858
eight or 24, he certainly did it at 24.

00:24:37.168 --> 00:24:41.208
And just, I'd like to share with you
just a few things that he did at that

00:24:41.208 --> 00:24:43.078
time that was so meaningful to me.

00:24:43.538 --> 00:24:45.628
I hope it's meaningful to you.

00:24:47.708 --> 00:24:54.068
I was there in my, my squadron
there at Little Rock, and I decided

00:24:54.068 --> 00:24:55.598
to go see the chaplain one day.

00:24:56.658 --> 00:24:59.648
And I don't know you, I know you're a
military, have a military background.

00:24:59.648 --> 00:25:02.258
I don't know what you think about
chaplains, but I've never been

00:25:02.258 --> 00:25:09.048
particularly impressed with the
strength of a chaplain as far as

00:25:09.048 --> 00:25:10.828
this Christian faith is concerned.

00:25:10.918 --> 00:25:13.238
Maybe I shouldn't say
that, but that's the truth.

00:25:14.258 --> 00:25:17.078
And I'm sure there are plenty
that are strong in the faith.

00:25:17.138 --> 00:25:20.828
And I know, especially doing
combat, I know that they provide

00:25:20.828 --> 00:25:22.418
a lot of assistance to people.

00:25:23.218 --> 00:25:26.798
But I went to the chaplain and
I asked him what I should do

00:25:27.588 --> 00:25:29.218
to walk closer to the Lord.

00:25:29.778 --> 00:25:30.758
And you know what he told me?

00:25:32.118 --> 00:25:34.328
He said, you need to become a big brother.

00:25:35.298 --> 00:25:36.338
Now there's a program.

00:25:36.338 --> 00:25:39.788
I don't know if it's, I don't know if
it's still in existence or not, but

00:25:40.488 --> 00:25:42.118
it's called the Big Brothers of America.

00:25:42.458 --> 00:25:44.708
And I said, I'd like to
become a big brother.

00:25:44.708 --> 00:25:45.358
And so I did.

00:25:46.518 --> 00:25:51.948
And I became a big brother to a young
African American boy, great kid.

00:25:53.388 --> 00:25:54.888
And he taught me a lot.

00:25:54.918 --> 00:25:55.528
It's amazing.

00:25:56.288 --> 00:25:59.528
He taught me, I said, we talked
about church and everything, and

00:25:59.588 --> 00:26:03.108
I said, he said he went to church
and I said, what songs do you like?

00:26:03.728 --> 00:26:06.678
And he said, well, my favorite
song is Jesus on the main line.

00:26:07.348 --> 00:26:07.688
Yeah.

00:26:07.698 --> 00:26:09.528
I said, wow.

00:26:10.038 --> 00:26:11.208
I'd never heard of that before.

00:26:11.208 --> 00:26:12.578
I said, what's, what's that like?

00:26:12.978 --> 00:26:16.023
And he said, Jesus song, the main line.

00:26:16.503 --> 00:26:17.703
Tell him what you want.

00:26:18.303 --> 00:26:19.053
Oh, Jesus.

00:26:19.058 --> 00:26:21.593
On the main line, tell him what you want.

00:26:22.413 --> 00:26:25.293
Jesus on the main line,
tell him what you want.

00:26:25.623 --> 00:26:27.513
Tell him what you want right now.

00:26:28.133 --> 00:26:31.853
And so he, he, he was just a great
kid and, and he taught me a lot.

00:26:31.853 --> 00:26:32.663
It's just amazing.

00:26:32.903 --> 00:26:35.393
This is not this kid doing it, Jesse.

00:26:35.398 --> 00:26:37.613
This is Jesus doing it through this kid.

00:26:37.618 --> 00:26:38.098
Correct.

00:26:38.263 --> 00:26:39.673
And I hope I was able to.

00:26:40.758 --> 00:26:44.378
To do something for him through
Jesus Christ and Jesus do it

00:26:44.508 --> 00:26:45.808
for him through me as well.

00:26:47.748 --> 00:26:49.888
One day I was in my squadron.

00:26:49.888 --> 00:26:53.198
Again, I was duty officer that
day and I was studying my Bible.

00:26:53.198 --> 00:27:00.128
I had taken a position as junior high
leader at the junior high group in the

00:27:00.128 --> 00:27:02.848
chapel there, Little Rock Air Force Base.

00:27:03.678 --> 00:27:08.308
And I was studying my Bible and
a squadron mate of mine came by

00:27:08.588 --> 00:27:09.598
and he said, Hey, what you doing?

00:27:09.948 --> 00:27:11.558
And I said, well, I'm studying my Bible.

00:27:11.558 --> 00:27:13.538
I'm doing this with my
junior high school group.

00:27:14.138 --> 00:27:14.998
He said, well, that's great.

00:27:15.008 --> 00:27:16.008
He said, are you a Christian?

00:27:16.458 --> 00:27:17.458
I said, yes, I am.

00:27:17.748 --> 00:27:18.748
He said, well, I am too.

00:27:19.998 --> 00:27:23.278
And I'd like to invite you to
come to my Sunday school class at

00:27:23.278 --> 00:27:25.298
First Baptist Church, Little Rock.

00:27:26.428 --> 00:27:27.848
And I said, well, I'd like to do that.

00:27:27.938 --> 00:27:31.028
And so, because this junior high
group is on Sunday evenings.

00:27:31.923 --> 00:27:33.113
Sunday mornings for free.

00:27:34.393 --> 00:27:39.853
And so I did, and God led me there
through my friend, Randy Andrus.

00:27:40.713 --> 00:27:48.893
And I've never been in a class as
dynamic as that was before or since.

00:27:49.653 --> 00:27:55.113
I was told by an older lady that
was just the most wonderful thing.

00:27:55.453 --> 00:27:57.343
Teacher was excellent.

00:27:57.473 --> 00:28:01.483
The beginning to understand more
and more about Christianity.

00:28:02.413 --> 00:28:05.303
And, uh, it was a wonderful thing for me.

00:28:05.853 --> 00:28:11.243
And while I was there, I learned
about seminary and I talked to our

00:28:11.273 --> 00:28:17.703
youth pastor there who had been to
seminary and went to Southwestern

00:28:18.163 --> 00:28:20.733
Seminary, where the youth pastor went.

00:28:21.493 --> 00:28:22.963
And so I said, I'd like to do that.

00:28:23.853 --> 00:28:25.473
But I was in the air force at the time.

00:28:26.523 --> 00:28:31.233
And so I made arrangements to, as
I was approaching the end of my

00:28:31.553 --> 00:28:36.293
commitment to the air force, made
arrangements to, to go that seminary.

00:28:37.293 --> 00:28:42.953
But before I left the air force, I
got a call one morning and it was

00:28:42.953 --> 00:28:46.412
from the duty officer that day,
and he said, we've just had a, one

00:28:46.412 --> 00:28:48.803
of our load masters on the C 130.

00:28:49.933 --> 00:28:52.833
He was head of the position of
load master and responsible for

00:28:52.843 --> 00:28:54.433
loading and unloading the aircraft.

00:28:55.043 --> 00:28:59.643
He was an alcoholic, really bad
alcoholic, and he had drowned.

00:29:01.013 --> 00:29:05.663
And the duty officer said on the phone,
he said, we're going to have a service

00:29:05.663 --> 00:29:07.483
for him at two o'clock this afternoon.

00:29:08.543 --> 00:29:10.043
And I said, well, of course I'll be there.

00:29:10.573 --> 00:29:12.153
Well, I hung up the phone, Jesse.

00:29:13.393 --> 00:29:16.813
And as I hung up the phone,
the Lord spoke to me.

00:29:16.813 --> 00:29:19.573
That's the only reason
I could only answer.

00:29:19.573 --> 00:29:21.333
I can give you was the
Lord speaking to me.

00:29:21.333 --> 00:29:22.273
And here's what he said.

00:29:23.068 --> 00:29:25.618
He said, what if they
call upon you to pray?

00:29:27.128 --> 00:29:28.378
What if they call on you to pray?

00:29:29.858 --> 00:29:31.498
And I thought, where did that come from?

00:29:31.498 --> 00:29:32.908
That didn't come from my head.

00:29:33.758 --> 00:29:36.428
It, it, it's, is that God speaking to me?

00:29:37.448 --> 00:29:42.328
And so I said, well, if they call on
me to pray at this funeral, which of

00:29:42.368 --> 00:29:47.118
course I didn't expect them to, because
I didn't even know that many people

00:29:47.118 --> 00:29:48.718
in Esquire knew I was a Christian.

00:29:50.273 --> 00:29:52.433
And I don't know why they
would ask me, of all people.

00:29:54.033 --> 00:29:58.303
And so I said, but if they do, I
would like to say something that

00:29:58.303 --> 00:29:59.763
would be helpful to the widow.

00:30:00.683 --> 00:30:04.583
And I would also like to
say something that would be.

00:30:05.383 --> 00:30:08.463
Meaningful to my squadron mates
that would draw them to Christ.

00:30:09.983 --> 00:30:15.363
And so two o'clock was approaching and I
parked my car there in the parking lot at,

00:30:15.433 --> 00:30:18.393
uh, squadron building, got out of my car.

00:30:18.393 --> 00:30:20.963
And I noticed that one of the
navigators there in the squadron

00:30:20.963 --> 00:30:22.443
was walking across the parking lot.

00:30:22.443 --> 00:30:27.013
I spoke to him and then
I, we walked together.

00:30:27.013 --> 00:30:29.373
We walked through the door
of the squadron building.

00:30:29.373 --> 00:30:33.223
Well, as I walked through the door, there
was my squadron commander standing there.

00:30:34.603 --> 00:30:37.623
And he said, Lindsey, he said,
they've asked me to pray.

00:30:38.843 --> 00:30:43.693
And I don't pray, would,
would, would you pray?

00:30:44.293 --> 00:30:47.163
I, you can imagine I was totally shocked.

00:30:48.333 --> 00:30:50.893
And I said, that was God speaking to me.

00:30:50.893 --> 00:30:52.423
That was God speaking to me.

00:30:52.423 --> 00:30:55.813
He is going to do
something wonderful today.

00:30:56.233 --> 00:30:58.043
And so I said, yes, sir, I would.

00:30:58.483 --> 00:31:01.423
And so I walked back to a room
that was unoccupied and prayed.

00:31:01.423 --> 00:31:03.093
I thank God for this experience.

00:31:03.093 --> 00:31:07.593
And I thanked him for what he was going
to do and went on into the service.

00:31:07.603 --> 00:31:11.143
Well, we had the service and.

00:31:11.518 --> 00:31:14.868
At the end of it, it was my time to pray.

00:31:16.068 --> 00:31:20.818
And so I got up with full confidence
that God was going to do something

00:31:20.818 --> 00:31:24.048
wonderful, and I began to pray.

00:31:24.858 --> 00:31:31.188
And Jesse, the moment the first word came
out of my mouth, the widow began to cry.

00:31:32.208 --> 00:31:38.868
And I don't mean just boo boo, I mean,
hollering, crying, screaming, crying.

00:31:39.908 --> 00:31:40.918
And it, it unearthed.

00:31:42.818 --> 00:31:47.938
All this faith, all this promise
that I had going into that thing.

00:31:48.088 --> 00:31:50.778
Once that started, it just faded away.

00:31:51.938 --> 00:31:59.748
And I did my prayer a whole lot sooner
than I would have otherwise, and left

00:31:59.808 --> 00:32:03.208
the service downhearted, confused.

00:32:04.588 --> 00:32:06.768
What in the world is going on?

00:32:08.038 --> 00:32:15.178
And I got home and that evening
went to bed, I don't know, maybe

00:32:15.178 --> 00:32:16.698
10 o'clock or so that evening.

00:32:17.678 --> 00:32:21.938
And it was that navigator that I
had seen walking across the parking

00:32:21.938 --> 00:32:23.558
lot and walked into the building.

00:32:24.618 --> 00:32:27.788
And he said, Lindsey, he said,
I was impressed with his prayer.

00:32:28.753 --> 00:32:32.163
And I want to know more
about Jesus Christ.

00:32:32.413 --> 00:32:36.103
And I was able to lead him
to faith in Jesus Christ over

00:32:36.103 --> 00:32:37.243
the telephone that night.

00:32:38.233 --> 00:32:41.783
And I hung up the phone, and a
few minutes later, it rang again.

00:32:43.313 --> 00:32:46.143
And picked up the phone,
and it was my friend, John.

00:32:47.653 --> 00:32:50.123
And John said, Lindsay, I was
impressed with your prayer.

00:32:51.543 --> 00:32:53.983
And I'd like to know
more about Jesus Christ.

00:32:55.113 --> 00:32:58.823
And so I wasn't able to lead him to
faith in Jesus Christ, but since then,

00:32:58.833 --> 00:33:00.593
he's come to faith in Jesus Christ.

00:33:01.898 --> 00:33:05.448
And I thought to myself, I said,
well, that's, that is God at work.

00:33:06.108 --> 00:33:12.808
What could he have done through my
prayer, if I had been more faithful

00:33:14.248 --> 00:33:19.538
and had continued praying that prayer,
believing that God was really in charge

00:33:19.538 --> 00:33:24.968
and believing that God is, is at work,
even if the widow was crying like she was.

00:33:26.168 --> 00:33:30.488
So I, I still believe that God
must have used that prayer to,

00:33:31.498 --> 00:33:33.408
to bless the widow as well.

00:33:34.313 --> 00:33:40.793
So anyway, that's just a one story
of things that God has done through

00:33:40.793 --> 00:33:45.673
my life that are just amazing to me.

00:33:46.063 --> 00:33:50.903
At that particular time, I was just
about ready to leave the air force.

00:33:50.903 --> 00:33:54.873
I was able to go and I felt
the Lord calling me to preach.

00:33:55.243 --> 00:34:01.543
I had preached my first sermon on
an Indian reservation in Oklahoma.

00:34:03.188 --> 00:34:09.798
And it was in 1974, it was with the
First Baptist Church of Little Rock.

00:34:10.038 --> 00:34:14.918
We went on a, on a mission trip there to
help them with one of their buildings.

00:34:15.138 --> 00:34:17.818
And so while I was there,
they asked me to preach.

00:34:18.528 --> 00:34:19.648
And so I did.

00:34:19.868 --> 00:34:22.098
That was my first, my first sermon.

00:34:23.128 --> 00:34:27.728
It wasn't recorded, thank goodness, but
one of the Native Americans there was

00:34:27.728 --> 00:34:30.348
telling me about, I know what you like.

00:34:30.348 --> 00:34:32.018
I said, what, what do you think I like?

00:34:32.018 --> 00:34:33.278
He said, well, you like chicken.

00:34:34.043 --> 00:34:35.703
I said, well, why do you think that?

00:34:35.703 --> 00:34:39.153
He said, because that's the gospel burger
and all the preachers like chicken.

00:34:40.663 --> 00:34:42.653
So I said, yeah, you're right.

00:34:42.653 --> 00:34:43.303
I do like chicken.

00:34:44.413 --> 00:34:45.203
I remember that.

00:34:46.503 --> 00:34:48.173
So anyway, that was my first sermon.

00:34:48.173 --> 00:34:54.013
And then, then I felt the Lord calling me
to, not, not really sure exactly where to,

00:34:54.203 --> 00:34:58.533
to go, but to go to the seminary, maybe
be a preacher, maybe be an evangelist,

00:34:58.653 --> 00:35:00.703
something in relation to the church.

00:35:01.713 --> 00:35:06.603
And so I went to Southwestern
Seminary, started there in.

00:35:07.768 --> 00:35:09.108
Kind of off track a little bit.

00:35:09.108 --> 00:35:12.178
Usually you start in the fall,
but I started in the spring.

00:35:12.248 --> 00:35:12.728
The spring semester.

00:35:13.598 --> 00:35:14.788
This was in Texas?

00:35:15.508 --> 00:35:15.938
Texas.

00:35:15.938 --> 00:35:17.428
It was in Fort Worth, Texas.

00:35:17.438 --> 00:35:17.828
Yeah.

00:35:19.098 --> 00:35:20.448
And enjoyed that.

00:35:20.558 --> 00:35:20.978
Guam.

00:35:21.298 --> 00:35:24.698
Particularly enjoyed visiting
around the different churches.

00:35:24.698 --> 00:35:29.203
I was at University Baptist Church
in Fort Worth one Sunday evening.

00:35:30.183 --> 00:35:35.633
And, uh, they had a service that
night and enjoyed the service a lot.

00:35:35.633 --> 00:35:39.543
And then after the service, they
said, that's all you young adults,

00:35:40.023 --> 00:35:46.533
particularly those that are single,
we have, uh, another program for

00:35:46.533 --> 00:35:50.823
you is upstairs and like you to go
up there and join us if you would.

00:35:51.818 --> 00:35:53.278
So I said, sure, I'd like to do that.

00:35:53.278 --> 00:35:58.008
So my roommate and I were
there together and we decided

00:35:58.008 --> 00:35:59.318
that we'd go up and do that.

00:35:59.948 --> 00:36:07.128
So on the way up the, uh, staircase going
up with this upper room, so to speak, I

00:36:07.128 --> 00:36:10.858
saw this girl, man, she was beautiful.

00:36:10.858 --> 00:36:14.268
She had long black hair,
thought it was black.

00:36:14.268 --> 00:36:17.138
It's actually brown, but it
looked black at the time.

00:36:18.103 --> 00:36:24.453
I had on a, kind of a orange and
brown jumper and man, she was great.

00:36:24.533 --> 00:36:28.773
I said to myself, I said, I sure
hope we get to sit with that girl.

00:36:29.593 --> 00:36:33.613
Turned out that girl was with her
roommate and they sat down at the

00:36:33.653 --> 00:36:35.683
table and they left two empty chairs.

00:36:35.683 --> 00:36:36.503
Can you imagine that?

00:36:38.203 --> 00:36:41.493
And so our roommate and I, we sat
down at those chairs and I got

00:36:41.503 --> 00:36:43.153
to know this girl named Frankie.

00:36:43.613 --> 00:36:45.083
Her name was Frances, but.

00:36:45.513 --> 00:36:48.613
Everybody called her Frankie Renfro.

00:36:49.863 --> 00:36:54.783
And about, I guess about four months
later, probably a little bit more than

00:36:54.813 --> 00:37:01.043
that, but about five months later,
we were married in August of 1976.

00:37:01.493 --> 00:37:05.553
And so August 14th, as a matter of
fact, so that's coming up Monday.

00:37:06.883 --> 00:37:12.693
So anyway, we got married and we bought
a house there in Fort Worth, 1976.

00:37:12.723 --> 00:37:14.863
Well, believe it or not, 14, 000.

00:37:15.848 --> 00:37:20.288
Yeah, that house today would just see
there's a small house, of course, but it

00:37:20.288 --> 00:37:22.668
probably run 100, 000 a day on badges.

00:37:22.668 --> 00:37:25.878
I don't know, but Frank
and I went to seminary.

00:37:25.888 --> 00:37:28.348
She, she, Oh, here's the thing too.

00:37:28.398 --> 00:37:29.488
This is how God worked.

00:37:30.638 --> 00:37:34.118
Back in those days, seminary.

00:37:34.423 --> 00:37:35.973
It didn't cost hardly anything.

00:37:36.783 --> 00:37:41.933
It cost me a hundred dollars a semester
to go to seminary, believe it or not.

00:37:41.973 --> 00:37:47.773
And it cost Frankie, since she was my
wife, 50 a semester to go to seminary.

00:37:48.223 --> 00:37:53.283
Of course, you had to have food
costs and living expenses like,

00:37:53.493 --> 00:37:54.573
like you would anywhere, but.

00:37:55.488 --> 00:37:56.818
But it was cheap.

00:37:57.288 --> 00:38:02.038
It's not that way anymore, but God
did that for me and for everybody

00:38:02.038 --> 00:38:03.248
else who was there at the time.

00:38:03.708 --> 00:38:07.738
So anyway, when I got out of the
air force, they gave me this program

00:38:07.778 --> 00:38:09.648
that they call Alice furlough.

00:38:10.478 --> 00:38:16.718
And they, not, not to sound too
prideful, but they gave it to people

00:38:16.718 --> 00:38:21.518
that they felt like they would,
they would want back people who were

00:38:21.518 --> 00:38:22.778
getting out, changed their mind.

00:38:23.928 --> 00:38:25.708
And so they gave me that.

00:38:25.708 --> 00:38:28.798
And I said, well, I don't have
intention of coming back, but.

00:38:29.618 --> 00:38:31.278
You know, I'll take it just in case.

00:38:32.398 --> 00:38:37.698
And sure enough, as I completed
seminary in 1978, I just felt led

00:38:38.418 --> 00:38:44.158
to be a bi vocational whatever,
particularly a bi vocational evangelist.

00:38:44.688 --> 00:38:44.998
Yeah.

00:38:45.118 --> 00:38:49.388
And so I spoke to the air force
and see if they would want me back.

00:38:49.388 --> 00:38:51.208
And they said, yeah, we, we would.

00:38:51.208 --> 00:38:57.558
We'd like to send you back as a, as
an instructor pilot in T 38s, which

00:38:57.558 --> 00:39:00.868
is the supersonic trainer aircraft.

00:39:01.533 --> 00:39:05.313
Pilot training at that time, and
I said, yeah, I'd like to do that.

00:39:05.323 --> 00:39:09.923
So they sent me to Laughlin Air Force
Base, Texas, which is Del Rio, Texas.

00:39:10.873 --> 00:39:14.053
And you probably heard a
lot about Del Rio recently.

00:39:14.053 --> 00:39:19.033
Anyway, I was there for four years and
went to the first Baptist church at Del

00:39:19.033 --> 00:39:25.363
Rio, met a lot of Christian friends there
in the training wing that I was in there

00:39:25.363 --> 00:39:32.653
at Laughlin and just had a great Christian
experience there outside of the air

00:39:32.653 --> 00:39:37.693
force, as well as inside, because I met
Christian friends there in the air force.

00:39:37.853 --> 00:39:45.573
And while we were there, some very
interesting things happened in Del Rio.

00:39:45.793 --> 00:39:47.113
Our first child was born.

00:39:47.763 --> 00:39:48.403
It's a girl.

00:39:48.903 --> 00:39:49.803
We named her Mary.

00:39:50.753 --> 00:39:53.013
And then our second child was born there.

00:39:53.033 --> 00:39:58.383
Another girl, we named her Jenny,
and then we left Little Rock.

00:39:59.133 --> 00:40:05.153
And I was offered, uh, an
assignment to Hope Air Force Base

00:40:05.283 --> 00:40:06.463
in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

00:40:07.673 --> 00:40:12.243
And it was very interesting there because
I was flying C 130s again, and we were,

00:40:12.753 --> 00:40:17.693
we did all kinds of things in the C
130, you drop paratroopers or you carry

00:40:18.713 --> 00:40:20.673
cargo or whatever they want you to do.

00:40:21.653 --> 00:40:24.263
So I was able to drop.

00:40:24.948 --> 00:40:28.248
One of Frankie's brothers who happened
to be in the army at the time, he

00:40:28.248 --> 00:40:31.738
was stationed at Fort Bragg, which
is next door to Pope Air Force Base.

00:40:32.608 --> 00:40:35.148
And he was, uh, in the, uh, 82nd Airborne.

00:40:35.948 --> 00:40:39.648
And so sure got, got, got to
drop him out of my airplane.

00:40:39.698 --> 00:40:42.878
If I had known more about him,
I'd probably kicked him out.

00:40:43.808 --> 00:40:44.478
That's not true.

00:40:45.318 --> 00:40:46.968
But, uh, he's a great guy.

00:40:48.358 --> 00:40:53.208
And as, as my tour at Pope Air
Force ended, was, was about to end,

00:40:53.468 --> 00:40:56.068
I got a call from the Air Force.

00:40:56.748 --> 00:41:01.898
And they said, would you like to go
to Bogota, Columbia, Columbia, South

00:41:01.898 --> 00:41:06.198
America, and be an exchange pilot with
the Columbian Air Force down there?

00:41:06.198 --> 00:41:07.588
I said, sure, I'd like to do that.

00:41:08.338 --> 00:41:11.498
So they said, well, we're going to send
you to send you to Spanish language

00:41:11.498 --> 00:41:16.418
school and help you to learn the Spanish
language, and then you can go down there.

00:41:17.458 --> 00:41:22.778
So I went out to Monterey, California
to attend the Defense Language

00:41:22.798 --> 00:41:24.878
Institute, Spanish school out there.

00:41:24.948 --> 00:41:32.968
And so about, I guess, about halfway
through that Spanish training program,

00:41:32.968 --> 00:41:37.338
they called back and they said, we've
just canceled all of our exchange programs

00:41:38.108 --> 00:41:41.658
down to that area, because that at that
time they were having a lot of trouble

00:41:41.658 --> 00:41:46.568
with the cartels down there, the drug
cartels, and they wouldn't let us go

00:41:46.568 --> 00:41:47.968
down there at that particular time.

00:41:48.718 --> 00:41:51.308
So I had to change assignment.

00:41:52.428 --> 00:41:56.348
So they called me up Jesse, and they
said, look, we've got a, another

00:41:56.348 --> 00:41:58.428
assignment here that you might like.

00:41:58.428 --> 00:42:00.628
It said Bulgaria of all places.

00:42:01.958 --> 00:42:05.388
And they said, it's a
defense attaché position.

00:42:05.968 --> 00:42:08.168
We'll let you finish up
your Spanish language.

00:42:08.718 --> 00:42:11.928
We'll send you over across the
way to the Naval Postgraduate

00:42:11.928 --> 00:42:16.458
School and give you a master's
degree in international relations.

00:42:17.838 --> 00:42:20.668
And then we'll send you to Bulgaria.

00:42:21.433 --> 00:42:23.523
And I said, well, that
sounds very interesting.

00:42:23.523 --> 00:42:24.323
I'd like to do that.

00:42:24.993 --> 00:42:26.893
They said, well, you've
got one question for you.

00:42:26.893 --> 00:42:27.763
I said, what's that?

00:42:28.583 --> 00:42:31.353
Said, well, do you drink alcohol?

00:42:32.163 --> 00:42:34.153
And I said, no, I don't.

00:42:35.193 --> 00:42:36.393
And they said, well, that's okay.

00:42:36.393 --> 00:42:39.383
As long as you're willing to serve
it in your home, because this

00:42:39.593 --> 00:42:43.903
defense attaché business is a lot
of socializing and what have you.

00:42:43.903 --> 00:42:48.903
And it's important to be able
to serve alcohol in your home.

00:42:49.683 --> 00:42:50.983
And I said, well, I'm sorry.

00:42:50.983 --> 00:42:52.423
I don't, I don't do that either.

00:42:53.683 --> 00:42:55.863
And they said, they said, well.

00:42:56.678 --> 00:42:57.548
We'll call you back.

00:42:58.578 --> 00:42:59.198
I said, okay.

00:43:00.618 --> 00:43:02.868
And so sure enough, they called
me back and they said, well, look,

00:43:02.878 --> 00:43:04.638
we've got another assignment for you.

00:43:05.068 --> 00:43:05.578
I said, great.

00:43:05.578 --> 00:43:06.168
What is that?

00:43:06.678 --> 00:43:09.218
They said, it's an assignment to Liberia.

00:43:09.838 --> 00:43:12.688
If you don't know where
Liberia is, it's not a library.

00:43:12.728 --> 00:43:15.838
It's a library and it's
in Africa, of course.

00:43:16.488 --> 00:43:18.038
And they're going to send me there.

00:43:18.038 --> 00:43:22.648
And they said, it's, uh, we, we, we're
sending you to learn French and it's,

00:43:22.648 --> 00:43:24.918
uh, flying assignment and what have you.

00:43:25.613 --> 00:43:28.733
And it's a Defense
Attaché assignment again.

00:43:29.653 --> 00:43:30.993
And I said, well, that sounds good.

00:43:30.993 --> 00:43:32.523
I, I'll, I'll take that.

00:43:33.313 --> 00:43:35.153
And they said, well, we
got one question for you.

00:43:35.153 --> 00:43:35.803
I said, what's that?

00:43:36.613 --> 00:43:37.303
Do you drink?

00:43:37.333 --> 00:43:43.323
I said, no, still don't, you know,
and they said, well, it's okay.

00:43:43.483 --> 00:43:45.593
But would you be willing
to serve it in your home?

00:43:45.593 --> 00:43:47.133
And I said, no, I don't do that.

00:43:47.973 --> 00:43:50.713
And they said, well, call us
back if you change your mind.

00:43:50.713 --> 00:43:53.573
And I said, well, call me
back if you change the words.

00:43:53.813 --> 00:43:54.083
So.

00:43:55.253 --> 00:43:59.053
Didn't get a call back about that job, but
I did get a call back about another one.

00:43:59.053 --> 00:44:04.143
It was in Panama, the country
of Panama down at the canal and

00:44:04.143 --> 00:44:06.833
everything, and went down there.

00:44:06.833 --> 00:44:08.943
That was finally wound up with that one.

00:44:10.233 --> 00:44:15.573
And it was, it was a good job because I
started out in one division, the exercise

00:44:15.573 --> 00:44:21.053
division, and then they changed me over
to be the general's executive officer.

00:44:23.023 --> 00:44:28.493
And that was pretty interesting because
from that position, I was called up

00:44:28.493 --> 00:44:33.108
to be the Executive officer for the
four star general, the commander of U.

00:44:33.108 --> 00:44:33.238
S.

00:44:33.238 --> 00:44:39.138
Southern command, which is responsible
for all the military exercises, military

00:44:39.168 --> 00:44:41.108
events in Central and South America.

00:44:42.308 --> 00:44:45.368
And they sent me to the Pentagon
for that, for that position.

00:44:46.578 --> 00:44:51.908
So to make a long story short, Jesse,
God has just been with me through

00:44:51.908 --> 00:44:56.348
everything that I've done all through
those experiences in North Carolina.

00:44:56.948 --> 00:45:05.678
Where we had our, our third daughter born
in Washington, DC, where our, let's see,

00:45:05.678 --> 00:45:09.068
I guess, Panama, our fourth daughter was
born, Washington, DC, where our fifth

00:45:09.068 --> 00:45:18.348
and sixth daughters were born and just
done all kinds of things for me in my

00:45:18.348 --> 00:45:20.628
life, watched over me, taking care of me.

00:45:21.248 --> 00:45:26.928
When I messed up, he was able to
blind people's eyes to my mess

00:45:26.928 --> 00:45:30.358
up and that's how God, God works.

00:45:31.113 --> 00:45:38.583
That's always given me confidence to, to
know that if, if God wants me noticed,

00:45:39.923 --> 00:45:41.993
he'll call the attention of others to me.

00:45:43.413 --> 00:45:48.093
And if God doesn't want my
mess up noticed, he'll blind

00:45:48.233 --> 00:45:50.193
others to that mess up.

00:45:51.013 --> 00:45:54.913
And so that's, that's been a
comfort and an encouragement to me.

00:45:55.363 --> 00:45:57.133
Well, I always like to
talk about my family.

00:45:57.163 --> 00:45:59.703
We, we have 10 children now.

00:46:00.083 --> 00:46:01.173
I mentioned several of them.

00:46:01.173 --> 00:46:02.533
I think I, I think I messed up.

00:46:02.533 --> 00:46:07.213
I think I said our sixth daughter was
born in, in Washington DC, but she

00:46:07.213 --> 00:46:12.623
was actually born in Charleston where
I was sent down to Charleston to.

00:46:13.393 --> 00:46:19.193
Be the professor of aerospace studies
in air, Air Force ROTC back in ROTC.

00:46:20.033 --> 00:46:24.583
But I was also the professor,
an adjunct professor in Bible.

00:46:25.683 --> 00:46:29.923
And while I was there as an adjunct
professor, I was teaching Old Testament

00:46:30.083 --> 00:46:31.613
class, survey of the Old Testament.

00:46:33.113 --> 00:46:38.043
And I told the students, what, what
were you going to study and all of that?

00:46:38.043 --> 00:46:44.093
And one student came to me and said,
listen, this is not what I signed up for.

00:46:44.093 --> 00:46:44.503
I said.

00:46:44.978 --> 00:46:45.988
What's, what's the matter?

00:46:46.258 --> 00:46:49.738
He said, well, I just signed
up for a survey class.

00:46:49.738 --> 00:46:53.298
I didn't know this was
going to be devotional, the

00:46:53.298 --> 00:46:54.548
study of the Old Testament.

00:46:55.158 --> 00:46:57.218
And I said, well, it is
going to be devotion.

00:46:58.518 --> 00:47:03.778
And at the end of that, that semester,
one student came to me and said, I've

00:47:03.798 --> 00:47:08.528
really been impressed with all I've
learned from the Bible, and I'd like to

00:47:08.528 --> 00:47:11.048
ask Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

00:47:11.818 --> 00:47:15.008
And, uh, it was that particular
student, the one who didn't,

00:47:15.068 --> 00:47:16.658
didn't want devotional teaching.

00:47:17.588 --> 00:47:21.388
But at any rate, when I was there,
I got a chance to teach Bible, got

00:47:21.388 --> 00:47:26.478
a chance to preach, I was an interim
pastor at, at several churches there

00:47:27.358 --> 00:47:29.278
and just enjoyed that particular time.

00:47:30.188 --> 00:47:34.048
But all through my Air Force career
and through that college teaching

00:47:34.048 --> 00:47:39.878
experience, my family stood with me and
was very much an encouragement to me.

00:47:40.648 --> 00:47:47.418
And then when I left the Air Force,
I became a pastor in Greenwood,

00:47:47.418 --> 00:47:49.378
South Carolina, of a church there.

00:47:50.208 --> 00:47:57.138
And while we were there, Frankie's brother
called us up and said that we have this

00:47:57.138 --> 00:48:02.768
situation in my, my company, this woman
is about to have a baby, doesn't want

00:48:02.768 --> 00:48:07.348
to keep the baby, looking for someone
to adopt them, would you like to adopt?

00:48:08.218 --> 00:48:09.528
And I said, sure would.

00:48:10.028 --> 00:48:12.208
And so we adopted our first boy.

00:48:13.263 --> 00:48:17.963
And then we became foster parents
while we were there, uh, at that

00:48:17.963 --> 00:48:20.443
first church in, in Greenwood.

00:48:21.703 --> 00:48:29.243
And, uh, we, uh, went on to adopt
two other boys and one girl.

00:48:30.343 --> 00:48:35.953
And so right now we have 10 children
and second boy, not the first one,

00:48:35.953 --> 00:48:37.593
but the second boy just got married.

00:48:38.633 --> 00:48:41.003
And so we have one boy at home.

00:48:41.013 --> 00:48:42.013
That's the youngest boy.

00:48:42.563 --> 00:48:44.463
And then the youngest girl at home.

00:48:45.033 --> 00:48:46.513
We have two children still at home.

00:48:47.193 --> 00:48:51.213
My wife, Frankie, has become the
president of the foster parent

00:48:51.233 --> 00:48:53.803
association here in Chesterfield County.

00:48:54.983 --> 00:48:57.623
And she's been in that
position for several years now.

00:48:59.073 --> 00:49:01.593
And so we've really enjoyed that.

00:49:01.603 --> 00:49:08.703
My wife is, uh, from a family that loves
family and, and thank God for that.

00:49:08.913 --> 00:49:10.713
So she's always loved children.

00:49:10.713 --> 00:49:12.713
She's always worked with children.

00:49:13.303 --> 00:49:16.043
She's had, uh, a whole bunch of her own.

00:49:16.898 --> 00:49:19.788
And, and she just loves, loves doing it.

00:49:21.118 --> 00:49:26.568
And I think it was from, from me, from
my perspective, I felt like the Lord

00:49:26.568 --> 00:49:29.258
was telling me that you need to do this.

00:49:29.258 --> 00:49:30.868
You need to do this for the children.

00:49:30.868 --> 00:49:32.788
You need to do this to support your wife.

00:49:33.513 --> 00:49:36.683
And it's going to be a
blessing for your family.

00:49:37.173 --> 00:49:42.963
And I think it has been, it hasn't
all been easy and, and we've had some

00:49:42.963 --> 00:49:45.163
difficulties with some of our children.

00:49:46.173 --> 00:49:50.133
And so we can't say that we'd like to
say that everything's worked out just

00:49:50.133 --> 00:49:56.203
perfectly, but it's really not true,
but it has all worked out really as a

00:49:56.203 --> 00:49:58.593
blessing to us and to those around us.

00:49:59.658 --> 00:50:04.638
I think we've been able to encourage other
people to foster and once you get involved

00:50:04.638 --> 00:50:12.028
in, in foster care, you begin to realize
more about the needs of people and how,

00:50:12.048 --> 00:50:17.578
how they need food and shelter and love
and all of that, but primarily how they

00:50:17.578 --> 00:50:19.948
need a relationship with Jesus Christ.

00:50:21.198 --> 00:50:25.018
And we were able to take these children
that we fostered and at least for a

00:50:25.028 --> 00:50:29.228
brief period of time, because we, we've
had them anywhere from a day or two.

00:50:29.943 --> 00:50:32.973
To several years as, as foster children.

00:50:33.583 --> 00:50:36.633
And of course, some, as we said, we've
adopted, so they're still with us even

00:50:36.633 --> 00:50:42.733
now, and we've been able to introduce
them to Jesus and introduce them to church

00:50:43.153 --> 00:50:46.793
and to get them somewhat aware of Bible.

00:50:47.783 --> 00:50:51.423
I've always thought of this, Jesse,
I've always thought of a lady as

00:50:51.423 --> 00:50:55.863
I was growing up, uh, she lived
next door to us, an older lady.

00:50:56.863 --> 00:51:00.783
And as I was older and after
I became a believer, I went

00:51:00.783 --> 00:51:02.313
over to her house one day.

00:51:02.933 --> 00:51:08.383
And we had one of our children with
us and she had a little toy xylophone.

00:51:08.493 --> 00:51:09.963
You know what a xylophone is?

00:51:10.193 --> 00:51:12.953
So a little tink, tink,
tink, tink, beat on it.

00:51:14.083 --> 00:51:17.743
And she said, I'm going to play a
song for you talking to the child.

00:51:18.503 --> 00:51:21.943
And I'm thinking in my mind, I'm not
really thinking, but just figuring she's

00:51:21.953 --> 00:51:23.193
going to play Mary Had a Little Lamb.

00:51:23.193 --> 00:51:24.373
That's what we always play.

00:51:25.333 --> 00:51:26.543
They play Mary Had a Little Lamb.

00:51:27.283 --> 00:51:29.233
She played Jesus Loves Me.

00:51:30.923 --> 00:51:34.183
And I'm thinking, that's the
kind of person that I want to

00:51:34.183 --> 00:51:36.113
be, how I want to be like that.

00:51:36.793 --> 00:51:40.543
And I can't say that I've always
been that way, but I've certainly

00:51:42.153 --> 00:51:44.293
had in mind as I've lived my life.

00:51:44.953 --> 00:51:47.993
So I think as far as family
is concerned, we've got some

00:51:47.993 --> 00:51:49.403
great kids and we've got it.

00:51:49.443 --> 00:51:53.543
I've got a great wife and hopefully
she's got an acceptable husband.

00:51:54.333 --> 00:51:57.083
And, and we've just had a lot
of fun together and we're still.

00:51:57.513 --> 00:52:02.233
We're celebrating our 47th
anniversary this coming Monday.

00:52:05.283 --> 00:52:10.693
So hopefully we can keep on going
for a while, keep on enjoying life.

00:52:11.713 --> 00:52:15.603
Our, for those of you who are football
fans, you may have, especially if you're

00:52:15.603 --> 00:52:21.223
Clemson fans, you may remember Hunter
Renfrow, that's, that's our nephew.

00:52:22.513 --> 00:52:28.783
Well, of course, on my wife's side and
her brother's son, Tony Renfrow, plays

00:52:28.783 --> 00:52:31.083
for the Las Vegas Raiders right now.

00:52:31.083 --> 00:52:33.523
So we're looking forward to this season.

00:52:34.063 --> 00:52:39.713
I think everybody in South
Carolina knows who the Renfrow is.

00:52:39.713 --> 00:52:43.473
I'll tell you a funny story about that
too, is talking about how God works.

00:52:44.003 --> 00:52:49.563
I got a call one day and it asked me,
this, this is Lindsey Powell, is it?

00:52:49.563 --> 00:52:49.833
Yeah.

00:52:50.213 --> 00:52:51.433
Your wife, Frankie Powell?

00:52:51.483 --> 00:52:51.803
Yeah.

00:52:52.413 --> 00:52:53.323
Are y'all the?

00:52:53.323 --> 00:52:53.398
Okay.

00:52:53.798 --> 00:52:56.288
Aunt and uncle of Hunter Renfrow.

00:52:56.288 --> 00:52:56.638
Yeah.

00:52:57.118 --> 00:53:00.478
He said, well, we would like you
to come to our dinner meeting.

00:53:00.828 --> 00:53:05.148
It's a lunch, lunch meeting on this
particular day and wondered if you'd come.

00:53:05.518 --> 00:53:06.478
I said, well, sure we'll come.

00:53:06.998 --> 00:53:09.318
Now, what would you like me to speak on?

00:53:10.178 --> 00:53:12.548
He said, well, I don't
really want you to speak.

00:53:12.558 --> 00:53:16.018
We've already got a speaker, but I
just want to be able to introduce you

00:53:16.018 --> 00:53:17.748
as Hunter Renfrow's aunt and uncle.

00:53:17.748 --> 00:53:22.028
So that's how God works in your life too.

00:53:22.708 --> 00:53:25.458
To take away a little bit of
your pride every now and then.

00:53:26.088 --> 00:53:27.938
So, yeah.

00:53:28.888 --> 00:53:35.858
Well, what do you, you've had a, you've
had a very long and productive ministry

00:53:35.868 --> 00:53:38.018
for, and you've moved around a lot.

00:53:38.018 --> 00:53:40.458
You've lived in, I can't
count the number of places.

00:53:40.458 --> 00:53:44.418
I, I think in my head it's around
10, 12 places that you've lived.

00:53:46.158 --> 00:53:51.978
All these experiences, all these kids, all
these ministries, churches, fellowship.

00:53:52.348 --> 00:54:00.168
Oh, you are a, what I would call, a
mature disciple, and you have a lot of

00:54:00.168 --> 00:54:06.698
wisdom, or I would say at least you've
learned to channel the wisdom of God.

00:54:07.148 --> 00:54:12.598
What would you, what kind of, what
would you like to pass on to, say,

00:54:12.598 --> 00:54:14.678
fellow believers who are on the path?

00:54:16.598 --> 00:54:20.648
What kind of encouragement would
you give another believer that's

00:54:20.648 --> 00:54:22.338
maybe going through some struggles?

00:54:23.083 --> 00:54:25.893
I, I think the very best thing
that I could advise anybody

00:54:25.893 --> 00:54:27.123
is to believe the Bible.

00:54:28.683 --> 00:54:32.713
It's all centered around this word,
which claims to be the word of God, the

00:54:32.713 --> 00:54:38.653
very word of God, the infallible, the
inherent, and the trustworthy word of God.

00:54:39.003 --> 00:54:40.483
That's what the Bible claims to be.

00:54:40.933 --> 00:54:46.683
There's no proof, what we call really
proof in the Bible that God exists.

00:54:46.693 --> 00:54:51.993
It doesn't prove the existence of God,
but neither does any secular philosophy.

00:54:52.763 --> 00:54:54.053
Prove that there is no God.

00:54:55.113 --> 00:55:00.233
And so both, both ways of looking at
God, whether you're looking at it as

00:55:00.273 --> 00:55:04.393
believing that he exists, or you're
looking at believing that he does not

00:55:04.393 --> 00:55:06.513
exist, is simply a matter of faith.

00:55:07.593 --> 00:55:09.113
And it's the same way with the Bible.

00:55:09.873 --> 00:55:13.473
I mean, I think you can approach
the Bible critically and say,

00:55:13.473 --> 00:55:14.633
well, I don't agree with that.

00:55:14.633 --> 00:55:17.943
Or I do agree with that, but I
don't agree with this on and on.

00:55:18.583 --> 00:55:23.513
Or you can look at the Bible as a
book that is what it claims to be.

00:55:23.553 --> 00:55:24.523
The truth of God.

00:55:25.613 --> 00:55:30.403
That the authors, these, these 40
plus authors that wrote this book

00:55:30.403 --> 00:55:34.893
over 1, 500 years, they're not
really the authors of the book.

00:55:34.963 --> 00:55:36.903
They put pen to paper or parchment.

00:55:37.253 --> 00:55:37.833
That's true.

00:55:38.563 --> 00:55:41.033
But the author is God himself.

00:55:42.063 --> 00:55:45.403
And so whether it's the Old Testament,
book of Genesis, or whether it's the

00:55:45.403 --> 00:55:51.123
New Testament to the book of Revelation,
everything in between, I believe that

00:55:51.123 --> 00:55:54.263
it's God's word and that it's true.

00:55:54.703 --> 00:55:55.138
It's true.

00:55:58.468 --> 00:56:04.278
And I believe that that's the best advice
that I can pass on to anybody is study

00:56:04.278 --> 00:56:12.188
the Bible and study it as a book that's
true, not one that you're trying to be

00:56:12.188 --> 00:56:14.268
critical of, whether it's true or not.

00:56:14.798 --> 00:56:18.208
There's a lot of things that you
can find that will corroborate

00:56:18.858 --> 00:56:20.298
the fact that God exists.

00:56:21.218 --> 00:56:22.528
I found that in the Bible.

00:56:22.958 --> 00:56:26.378
There's some things you could
find that would be possibly an

00:56:26.388 --> 00:56:28.128
argument that he does not exist.

00:56:29.248 --> 00:56:37.138
But, um, I can tell you from my life
experience, all these 70, almost 75 years

00:56:37.138 --> 00:56:40.458
that I've lived, that God does exist.

00:56:40.948 --> 00:56:43.348
He's proven it time and time again.

00:56:44.448 --> 00:56:45.638
He speaks to us.

00:56:47.198 --> 00:56:49.378
He speaks to us through his word.

00:56:49.408 --> 00:56:51.498
He speaks to us through the Bible.

00:56:51.538 --> 00:56:53.058
He speaks to us through prayer.

00:56:53.368 --> 00:56:56.668
He speaks to us through our
brothers and sisters in Christ.

00:56:57.788 --> 00:56:59.938
And he watches over us.

00:57:01.228 --> 00:57:02.168
And he brings.

00:57:02.698 --> 00:57:08.378
Blessings into our life, and he also
brings trouble, but whether it's the

00:57:08.378 --> 00:57:14.228
trouble or what we would consider
a blessing, we begin to understand

00:57:14.228 --> 00:57:15.908
in time that it's all a blessing.

00:57:16.488 --> 00:57:20.738
Even the bad things that he
brings are blessings in our life.

00:57:21.378 --> 00:57:24.198
And it's hard to understand that
until you actually go through it.

00:57:25.068 --> 00:57:28.208
And when you do go through it,
you'll see what I'm talking about.

00:57:29.678 --> 00:57:31.348
So that would be my best advice.

00:57:31.818 --> 00:57:32.518
Study the Bible.

00:57:34.088 --> 00:57:36.598
Learn it and believe it
that is the truth of God.

00:57:39.058 --> 00:57:43.548
Yeah, I think what you're what
you're saying is absolutely perfect

00:57:43.578 --> 00:57:52.033
for anybody because We don't walk
by feelings we walk by Faith.

00:57:52.533 --> 00:57:59.533
And faith comes from knowing, well, faith
comes from hearing and reading the Word.

00:58:00.673 --> 00:58:05.443
So, you know, if I can just
believe what God says, anything

00:58:05.443 --> 00:58:08.403
that He says in His Word, I know
everything's gonna be alright.

00:58:08.413 --> 00:58:12.463
It doesn't really matter how
I feel because I don't walk

00:58:12.493 --> 00:58:14.053
by feelings, I walk by faith.

00:58:15.143 --> 00:58:19.928
And, um, Anybody can
apply that to their lives.

00:58:19.968 --> 00:58:21.198
It's not easy.

00:58:21.468 --> 00:58:23.158
If it was easy, everybody would do it.

00:58:23.218 --> 00:58:28.208
But if we, anybody who does do
it will find the truth of it.

00:58:30.068 --> 00:58:30.598
Thank you.

00:58:31.738 --> 00:58:33.058
I think you're absolutely right.

00:58:33.058 --> 00:58:38.548
I think in this day and time that we're
living, feelings seem to be so important.

00:58:38.898 --> 00:58:44.628
We identify truth by how we feel
about that particular truth.

00:58:45.498 --> 00:58:47.298
It's not true unless
we feel like it's true.

00:58:48.188 --> 00:58:49.958
And that's how people look at it today.

00:58:49.958 --> 00:58:51.608
But that's, that's not
the way to look at it.

00:58:51.608 --> 00:58:52.578
It's just like you said.

00:58:53.058 --> 00:58:54.378
We believe it by faith.

00:58:55.418 --> 00:58:58.368
We don't believe it because
we feel like it's right.

00:58:58.418 --> 00:59:08.118
So I would like to end our discussions
today by asking you to pray for anybody

00:59:08.118 --> 00:59:12.268
who might be listening, if anybody
has been drawn to this, to listen

00:59:12.278 --> 00:59:17.068
this far in the podcast is because
it's the Holy Spirit directing them

00:59:17.698 --> 00:59:21.398
and he has something for them, but
I don't know what it is God does.

00:59:22.048 --> 00:59:27.778
So with that, that in mind, would
you pray for our listeners today?

00:59:27.868 --> 00:59:28.558
I'll be glad to.

00:59:28.678 --> 00:59:29.378
I'm glad to.

00:59:30.328 --> 00:59:31.408
Let's pray together.

00:59:32.408 --> 00:59:37.328
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much
for the opportunity to do this podcast.

00:59:38.038 --> 00:59:45.688
We know that in ourselves, we're
unable to really make as strong an

00:59:45.718 --> 00:59:48.268
impact as you would like us to make.

00:59:48.268 --> 00:59:53.888
And thank you for working
through us, empowering us.

00:59:55.018 --> 00:59:59.488
That the words that we speak, the things
that we talk about can be helpful,

01:00:00.448 --> 01:00:02.888
spiritually helpful to other people.

01:00:03.658 --> 01:00:09.348
And so, Lord, I pray for our listeners,
whether it's one or a million or any

01:00:09.348 --> 01:00:14.718
other number, we pray that you'll just
bless them through this podcast and not

01:00:14.718 --> 01:00:20.998
only this one, but those who, who will,
that will be produced in the future.

01:00:21.708 --> 01:00:28.788
And we thank you for your willingness
to do that and your love for DeLaGrante.

01:00:29.343 --> 01:00:30.203
Cause that's what you do.

01:00:30.993 --> 01:00:34.213
You just work through things
to draw people to you.

01:00:34.913 --> 01:00:38.693
And we pray that through this
podcast, we pray that you'll, uh,

01:00:38.693 --> 01:00:42.053
use them to draw people to you.

01:00:42.403 --> 01:00:43.403
Thank you for Jesse.

01:00:43.413 --> 01:00:47.623
And thank you for his work in evangelism.

01:00:48.403 --> 01:00:49.323
In Jesus name.

01:00:49.763 --> 01:00:50.243
Amen.

01:00:51.893 --> 01:00:52.513
Amen.

01:01:00.979 --> 01:01:03.199
We hope you've been
blessed by today's story.

01:01:03.669 --> 01:01:07.379
In case you haven't noticed, there
are no advertisements on this podcast

01:01:07.749 --> 01:01:09.299
and we hope to keep it that way.

01:01:09.959 --> 01:01:14.099
So if you've heard something that you
think could help someone you know, please

01:01:14.109 --> 01:01:16.229
share it using the link in the show notes.

01:01:17.059 --> 01:01:21.409
Also, if you will give Faith and Purpose a
positive review on your podcast platform,

01:01:21.839 --> 01:01:23.509
you could help more people find it.

01:01:24.089 --> 01:01:28.149
You will probably never know how
that small effort can make a big

01:01:28.159 --> 01:01:29.749
difference in someone's life.

01:01:30.034 --> 01:01:31.714
But our Heavenly Father knows.

01:01:32.194 --> 01:01:37.044
Speaking of sharing, if you know a Jesus
follower with a story to tell, please send

01:01:37.044 --> 01:01:39.444
them a link to Faith and Purpose Podcast.

01:01:39.924 --> 01:01:42.074
It may encourage them to tell their story.

01:01:42.504 --> 01:01:44.054
That person may even be you.

01:01:44.544 --> 01:01:47.704
Our only criteria is
that Jesus be glorified.

01:01:48.464 --> 01:01:51.964
Most Christians don't share their
faith because they mistakenly think

01:01:51.974 --> 01:01:54.314
their story is not interesting enough.

01:01:54.784 --> 01:01:57.154
Or that it's self centered
to talk about themselves.

01:01:57.574 --> 01:02:01.384
Or that they are not competent
to explain the gospel correctly.

01:02:01.834 --> 01:02:03.094
But none of that is relevant.

01:02:03.484 --> 01:02:06.934
If Jesus has changed your
life, you have a story to tell.

01:02:07.844 --> 01:02:09.854
All of our stories are completely unique.

01:02:10.409 --> 01:02:15.139
No one has a story like yours, and you
may be the only one who can reach someone

01:02:15.139 --> 01:02:17.499
else through telling your experience.

01:02:18.009 --> 01:02:20.409
All of our stories are completely unique.

01:02:20.759 --> 01:02:25.509
No one has a story like yours, and you
may be the only one who can reach someone

01:02:25.509 --> 01:02:27.409
else through telling your experience.

01:02:27.829 --> 01:02:29.179
So don't be intimidated.

01:02:29.569 --> 01:02:33.869
A story is just that, a true
account of your own experience.

01:02:34.284 --> 01:02:36.994
And no one can disagree
with your experience.

01:02:37.894 --> 01:02:42.074
When we tell what Jesus has done in
our lives, we are being obedient to his

01:02:42.074 --> 01:02:46.284
command to go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature.

01:02:46.704 --> 01:02:50.514
It's not about theology, and it's not
about how interesting or special you are.

01:02:50.894 --> 01:02:52.754
It's all about Jesus.

01:02:53.329 --> 01:02:58.029
So when you're ready to tell how Jesus
has impacted your life, you can let Jesse

01:02:58.029 --> 01:03:01.129
know at his ministry website, jesseduke.

01:03:01.169 --> 01:03:01.489
net.

01:03:02.039 --> 01:03:05.059
There you can download guidelines
that will make it easy to

01:03:05.059 --> 01:03:06.599
prepare to tell your story.

01:03:07.129 --> 01:03:09.619
Thank you for listening today and Shalom.