The 700 Club - July 25, 2011

He's the mind behind The Untouchables and Wag the Dog. Acclaimed playwright David Mamet shares a page from his latest script. Plus . . . . He turned blue, from the minute they cut the cord. A newborn in a fight for his life . . . . There was nothing they could do for him. . . . . becomes a medical miracle. Even the doctors were shocked. Well, welcome to The 700 Club. Is negotiating with Obama like trying to get Jell-O to stand up straight? At least that’s the word from Speaker Boehner. And interestingly enough, the Washington Post comes along and says that Boehner is coming through as the champion and the adult in the room, and everybody else is caving. Well, they've got just a week to go before the deadline. Republicans and Democrats still don't have a deal on raising the government’s debt ceiling. Now both parties are working separating try to come up with a plan. John Jessup has the story from Washington. Washington’s debt deal storyline mirrors the high drama of a soap opera, with unanswered phone calls and accusations of political recklessness. But its impact is far more serious. Asian stock markets closed lower Monday, and US futures fell ahead of Monday's opening bell after weekend negotiations failed to produce a bipartisan deal. The Obama Administration warns that if the federal debt ceiling isn't raised, the government risks not having enough money to pay all its bills. The man who signs the bills says he believes Washington will come up with an agreement because a government default would cause, quote, “irreparable damage.” There is no choice. There's no alternative. Failure is not an option. But it's down to the wire, and now there are competing plans, one from House Speaker John Boehner, who is calling for a short-term deal that would cut spending by a trillion dollars and raise the debt ceiling by a trillion dollars, a plan that would allow the government to pay its bills through the early part of next year. But the president already has ruled out any short-term deals. And then to have to go through this whole exercise all over again. That we're not going to do. And Democrats say such a plan ignores critical economic warnings. Moody's, Fitch, Standard & Poor's have told us, “Don't do that.” A short-term extension of the debt ceiling is going to jeopardize our economy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan would raise the debt limit by 2.4 trillion dollars and reduce spending by slightly more. Although Democrats have been calling for higher taxes in a bipartisan agreement, Reid's plan reportedly has no new taxes. But it would meet President Obama's demand to not bring up the issue until 2013. I know the president is worried about his next election, but, my God, shouldn't he be worried about the country? Many experts believe even if a deal isn't agreed to before August 2nd, there is enough money in the Treasury for the US to pay interest on it loans. But administration officials warn there’s not enough money to pay its other bills. And while the impasse moves the US closer to losing it’s AAA credit rating, gold hit another record high at 1,620 dollars. John Jessup, CBN News, Washington. Thanks, John. The truth is, the Democrats have not put forth one comprehensive program, nor has the president. They haven’t really put forth a serious program of debt reduction. We need to reduce how much money we are spending, and it needs to be some massive cuts. And they refuse to do it. And now Obama says. “Well, if you give me a short-term fix on the debt ceiling, I’m going to veto it.” Well, if he vetoes it, then he will bring the house of cards crashing down. But the Treasury has got enough money. There are tax receipts coming in every single day into the Treasury, and there is enough in there to pay the social security. There is enough to pay the servicemen's pay. There is enough money to take care of crucial obligations. We're not about to default on anything. And, ladies and gentlemen, the social security has a trust fund that is filled with United States Treasury obligations. And all they have to do is take those things out to the market and sell them, and use the money to pay the obligations they have. And so for the president to say that grandmother is not going to get her social security check is just a flat-out lie. And you see this posturing, and it makes you sick at your stomach. But the bottom line is America has got to get its fiscal house in order. It has got to quit spending on wasteful projects. We just have to do it. Whether it is entitlement, whether it is defense, whatever it is, we must cut our spending. And we will not get to where we need to do by raising taxes on the productive sector of our society. Over 50 percent of the American people don't pay any taxes at all. And so those people that want to have a free ride on the, quote, “rich,” well, the rich can't stand but so much. So, anyhow, the drama goes on, but it looks like Speaker Boehner is coming out ahead of the pack. Lee Webb has the rest of our top stories from the CBN Newsroom. Lee. Pat, new details are emerging now about the man who has admitted carrying out the most violent attack in Norway since World War II. The death toll from Friday’s massacre stands at 93. Charlene Israel has the latest. Norway mourned its dead this weekend in the wake of the bomb blast in Oslo and the shooting spree that followed on a Norwegian island. Many at the memorial service were reduced to tears, including Norway's King Harald V and his wife, Queen Sonja. This young man survived the shooting rampage at that youth summer camp. I have no words. The feeling of I am soon going to die, and the fear, and that I heard so many shots of his gun. He never stopped shooting. Many in the country are still in shock. I guess it can happen anywhere. But of course I'm shocked at the extent of it and that it was one of our own. That was a big surprise. Policed arrested 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik for the deadly violence. CBN News spoke with a Christian journalist in Norway. He says the suspect ended his church membership several years ago and that Norway’s Christian community does not share his beliefs. I don't think there is any Christian in Norway that would read his perspective or opinion that would say that this fits into our church. There's no church like that in Norway. He identified himself with the Crusades. He wants a new crusade. For some people, they could say he a Christian because he identifies with all these people and their extreme view. But in the Christian landscape in Norway today, he is just outside. Police are investigating a 12-minute-long video posted by Breivik on YouTube, along with a 1,500 page manifesto posted online on the day of the attack. Investigators say he was opposed to the growing influence of Islam in the country and wanted to preserve Norway's European heritage. The YouTube video included warnings against the high rate of Muslim immigration. Norway's prime minister cautions it is too soon to know the motive for the attacks. But he admits police are aware of some extremist groups in the country. Charlene Israel, CBN News. Police and Breivik’s attorney say he has confessed to the attacks, but denies criminal responsibility. Pat, he has been charged with terrorism. He is like the Unabomber. He picked up some of the stuff here from that crazy man here in America that was blowing people up. And I don’t know what his theory is. Certainly the Norwegians and the Scandinavians have a problem. The amount of Muslim immigration and the tremendous birth rate of Muslims is causing an imbalance in their society, and they're worried about it. But the way to solve that is certainly not by blowing up innocent kids at a summer camp. Lee. Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples were married in New York Sunday; the first day same-sex marriage became legal in that state. It’s just an accumulation of a lot of hard work of many people. And we’re just so happy to be celebrating. We think it’s an historic day for New York. And we're going to look back with great fondness on this day. Thousands of people, though, protested the new law. They say Governor Andrew Cuomo redefined marriage and didn't give voters a say. Voters have rejected same-sex marriage in all 31 states where it has been on the ballot. The insurance industry says amazing new technology can reduce the number of car accidents dramatically. Low speed rear-end crashes are the most common. Now there are cars that actually hit the brakes for you. Volvo's new automatic braking technology uses an infrared laser in the windshield. It senses a potential collision and firmly applies the brakes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports the system eliminates more than a quarter of low speed crashes. Volvo will make its technology standard in four models next year. An optimistic outlook may be good for you and good for your mental health as you get older. New research indicates those with light-hearted and optimistic attitudes are healthier than others. A sunnier disposition may also give people a sharper mind in old age. Scientists in Germany made this discovery. Researchers say focusing on the positive and living for the moment has significant benefits. Scientists called the find the “positivity effect.” I guess there is some biblical foundation for that. Jesus said didn’t He, “Don't worry about tomorrow,” Pat, “today has enough trouble of its own.” And Proverbs said, “A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” I’m preparing for the next 20 years or so. Are you? That’s why I’m staying so young. Absolutely. Absolutely. We’re both young. And a laugh a day is well worth it, right? A laugh a day. But we have a lot of laughs on this program, for better or for worse. But, hey, folks, chill out. The French have a wonderful statement. It would be “chill out,” but it’s soiree tranquille. A dear secretary wrote up a little thing in French, soiree tranquille, as in “stay loose.” Terry. Posted in on your desk. Yes, indeed. Well, his plays have been nominated for Oscars and Tonys and he’s even won a Pulitzer Prize. Screenwriter David Mamet joins us next and tells us about his most controversial work. And then later, we’ll answer your questions from our chat room. So if you have something to ask Pat, just log on to CBN right now, and we’ll Bring It On later on today’s show. Hi there neighbor, Pat Boone here for my good friends at Swiss America, the company that makes retirement dreams come true with gold. A lot of folks are shifting a portion of their retirement funds into a new precious metals IRA with Swiss America. And since 2004 these IRA’s are up in value over 150%. I've been a very satisfied client of Swiss America for many years now, because they believe in honesty, fair prices, and superior service. It's time to put your financial future on a gold standard right now. I own gold, because it's a hedge of protection for my family. Even my grandkids can see that our paper money is becoming less valuable every day. So call or visit Swiss America now. Ask for the Pat Boone free DVD and gold IRA kit. Get the best education you can on gold, the best asset to own during these uncertain times. Call or visit online now. Tomorrow . . . . . . . . a teenage space cadet. I blinked my eyes, and the next thing you know I began to go through the roof and was literally leaving the earth. What he saw . . . . I was just fascinated at first, and then fear overcame me. . . . and how he returned. Plus . . . . Plus, 700 Club alum Sheila Walsh returns home. Tomorrow on The 700 Club. Well, I have an interesting guest. He’s written a book called The Secret Knowledge. He’s one of the most famous writers and directors of our time. David Mamet is also a Pulitzer Prize winner. For 30 years, he has believed in what are called liberal values. But in recent years, he has had a change of heart, and he says he is now a former brain-dead liberal. Acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, film director, and essayist, David Mamet is best known for the films The Untouchables, The Verdict, and Wag the Dog. He's also a part of the elite group of Pulitzer Prize winners, receiving the award for his play, Glengarry Glen Ross. For most of his highly successful career, Mamet has been a voice for liberalism. This leading writer continues to speak out, but not for the left. Mamet is described as a former liberal who woke up, a man who realized that the mainstream media outlets he depended upon were biased and pushed a hypocritical worldview filled with flaws. In 2008, he wrote a highly controversial op-ed for The Village Voice entitled “Why I Am No Longer a Brain-Dead Liberal.” In the article, he methodically tears apart liberal beliefs. Now, in his new book, The Secret Knowledge on the Dismantling of American Culture, Mamet goes a lot deeper into his change of heart, taking on the key political and cultural issues of our time, from taxes to religion to political correctness. Well, David Mamet joins us now from New York. David, it’s great to have you with us. Thanks for being here. You're welcome. Let me ask you, you didn't just come to this position overnight. Was there some epiphany, where suddenly you said, “I’m all wrong, and I’ve got to go another way,” or was it a gradual metamorphosis? Well, I think I got into my 60’s, and I thought it was time to start growing up and taking responsibility, if I may, as a citizen. So I started asking the question, “Why am I paying this much taxes? Where do the taxes go? And what horrors are committed in the name of justice?” And I started—go ahead. You had a couple of really well-known movies. Wag the Dog was kind of a spoof on our military, of how a couple of guys started a war throwing shoes in trees. You had another one, The Verdict, which pointed to the corruption of the legal system in Massachusetts, and it was a great success. But the Catholic Church came out looking pretty bad. What are some of these pillars of society? Do you think they’re based on fraud or mismanagement, or what’s the deal? Well, I’ll tell you what, Wag the Dog was not a spoof of the military. In my view, it was a spoof of politicians. The military had nothing to do with it. It was the spoof of a president and his second in command, who co-opted the military. And I guess the Catholic Church did come up looking pretty bad in The Verdict, but every story has got to have a villain. And if you are dramatis, nobody is immune. A drama is not a story about good things happening to good people. I heard the fellow that gave me the nice introduction saying that I used to write for the liberal side. And I don't know that that’s true, but perhaps he has a better view of it than I do. No, seriously. I’ve always been attracted by a good story. And when I realized that there was another good story, and that was what happened to America? Why did we go from being the preeminent country in the world to being a country that 50 percent of the people hate our country, hate our ally Israel, hate success, and are willing to chain our children to debt, because we aren't willing to take a piece of paper and sit down at the kitchen table and say, “What's going on here?” And as I started to do some reading in economics and politics, what I realized is there is nobody home but us. The citizenry is the government, and to the extent that the citizenry has stopped being the government, we’re becoming a serf state in the words of Frederick Hayek. Well, what is your take on this deal that’s going on now, this debt crisis, as they call it? Well, I think that John Boehner is doing a pretty good job. The problem is that we have to come up with a compromise. If Milton Freedman was in charge, he’d say, “Guys, here’s what we’re going to do. We're going to cut the federal budget in half. We’re going to pass a balanced budget on the Constitution, and in four years, we're going to cut the budget in half again.” And people are going to kick and scream, and we’re going to wake up the next month and say it didn’t make much difference, that the people who had been thrown out of work were the people who weren't producing anything, and they could jolly well go and get a job like the rest of us, because there was going to be a lot more money to spend to employ them. Well, power to you. I hope your view—maybe they could put you as Secretary of the Treasury. How about this business about college? You said it is a socialist camp. True story? Oh, yes. I’ve been around the liberal arts institutions for about 40 years, both as a student and as a teacher. And I’ve taught at all the big schools, teaching acting and aesthetics and playwrighting. And the truth is it’s a shock that there is nothing that you're going to learn in a liberal arts education that you didn't know when you were coming in. Why spend four years learning to say five things about three books? Wouldn't the 200,000 dollars be better spent elsewhere? All right. Well, you say the liberals have lived in a bubble because they aren’t exposed to conservative ideas. Tell us about that. Oh, no, tell me again. What was the question? You said the liberals live in a bubble because they're not exposed to conservative ideas. How come? That’s, well, because they--it is true of me. I’m speaking of someone with 60 years experience. You never read a conservative publication, you never heard of Thomas Sowell or Shelby Steele or Frederick Hayek or Victor Davis Hanson or John Stewart Mill, or Adam, so you never heard of any of these people. And so when you talk to liberals, they look on conservatives as the devil, because liberals do not look at themselves as liberals. They look on themselves as moderates. So there is this whole country split if half. Part of it is the evil Republicans, and the other have is the right, correct-thinking moderates. So the liberal religion, as I looked at it more and more, was a series of recognition symbols. Do you know what that son of a gun did? Isn't it terrible about the environment? Isn’t it wretched, the waste in government? Isn't it terrible what Israel is doing? So rather than expressing ideas or expressing, in effect, pleasantries, “I’m glad to see you,” liberals are identifying each other by indicting something on the right. That's how they know they're among their own kind, and they never leave. What about Israel? I’ve been a strong supporter of Israel. It looks like liberal Jews in America have been kind of down on Israel. They don't feel they should stand up against the Palestinians. What do you think? I couldn't agree more. And I’m a firm Zionist and a great supporter of Israel, and my people have only been Jews for 6,000 years, but we're working on going for the record. All right. Keep going. And so I talked to friends of mine, liberal Jews, when Obama was running, and I said, “Are you crazy? If you look at this guy's association, and you look at the church he went to, and you look at the award they gave to Farrakhan, and if you look at the fact that he is denying a 20-year association with a Jew-hating preacher and an anti-America congregation, who do you think you're voting for? And what do you think this one-worlder is going to do to the state of Israel? The state of Israel is going down the river under Obama.” And it’s true. And my people, the Jews, have a lot to answer for. Do you think the Jewish community is going to—it is not only here in America, it’s over in Israel itself, this sort of a self-hatred where they think they shouldn't be hard on the Palestinians, they shouldn't stand up, they shouldn’t build their defenses and so forth. Do you think the Jews are ever going to wake up? Well, we seem to wake up like one minute after the last minute, down through time. If you look at the story of the plagues, the plagues are placed on Pharaoh, and one time after another, he says, “The Jews can go. The Jews can’t go,” and the Bible says God hardened Pharaoh's heart to keep inducing the plagues. But I always thought that the plagues were actually sent on the Jews, because they say, “Okay, here are some frogs. You want to leave now?” “Not quite yet.” “How about some lice?” “Not quite yet.” “Cattle disease?” “Not quite yet.” Until finally, God says, “You know what, the depth of the Almighty, have you had enough, Jews? Will you please get out of Egypt?” And only then do the Jews leave. Speaking of getting out of Egypt, you're a star in Hollywood. Is your star still on the ascendancy, or are you in trouble? Oh, heck, I don’t know. Hollywood has always been a whirlpool of huckster. It’s great. I love it out there, hucksterism and crime and idealism and idiocy all mixed up together. And the old phrase, has Samuel Goldwyn got mad at somebody when he ran the Goldwyn Studios, and he said, “Throw that son of a gun out of my office, and I never want to see him again unless I need him.” All right. Well, David, I know they're going to need you. Have you got another project on the burner right now? Are you working on a screenplay? Yes, I do. I’m shooting a movie for HBO with Al Pacino and Helen Mirren about the Phil Spector murder trial. And then I wrote a play. I got really interested in what's her name, Bernadette Dohrn and Bill Ayers and Kathy Boudin and the Weather people. Those are the terrorists who were part of the Weather Underground in the 1960’s. And one woman went to jail for 35 years. They didn’t catch Bernadette Dohrn. They let her go, and they let Bill Ayers go to become the president’s best friend. But Kathy Boudin went to jail. So I’m writing a play about her in a jail after 35 years and what it meant to be a socialist and a Marxist and a terrorist. So that’s the way my mind works. Well, we look forward eagerly to see it. And David Mamet’s book is called The Secret Knowledge. It’s available where books are sold. We hope you’ll get a copy of it. He’s a great guy. David, thanks for being with us. God bless you. God bless you, sir. Thank you. Terry. Fascinating. Well, up next, a newborn’s life is on the line, and his parents must make a crucial choice. Scott and I were sitting in this little conference room with all of these doctors and the chaplain, who were telling us that we needed to make this decision pretty quickly. And it was either the bypass or the heart transplant. See what this couple decides when we come back. For years I’ve been telling people how great the Total Gym is. And now we’re going to make you a promise. If you use the Total Gym for 10 weeks, you will see a dramatic change in your body. Guaranteed. How can we make the Total Gym guarantee? A recent study showed that the Total Gym provides all three components of a complete workout: stretching, aerobic activity, and resistance training. We're so confident that you'll love the Total Gym; we're making this money back guarantee. Here's what Total Gym did for these people. I went from a size 12 to a size 2. This is before the Total Gym, size 44. I went from 12 to a size 5/6. I went from a size 8 into a size 2. The Total Gym has given me an incredible lower body. It's easy to store, easy to set up, and fun to use. If I can do it, you can do it. Join the Total Gym 10 and see the difference. Use it for 10 weeks and see a dramatic difference or your money back. Call 1-800-898-2603 or go to TotalGym10.com right now. To listen to our top songs of the week, go to CBN Radio at CBN.com. From the moment Patrick Shugart entered the world, his young life was in jeopardy, and his parents were faced with a crucial decision. But they didn't have to face it alone. Watch. When he came out I remember I saw him. And then he turned blue, like from the minute they cut the cord. The nurse noticed it first, and he was having trouble breathing. Maureen Shugart had worried about her unborn baby for nine months. She was 38 years old, pregnant, and sick all the time. Doctors tried to assure Maureen and her husband Scott that all was well. But when Patrick entered the world on May 25th, 2004, he was struggling to breathe. He was quickly transported to nearby Children’s Hospital in Omaha. The cardiologist said that it was really at that point they really could not give him any more medication without it becoming toxic to him, lethal. So if he got any worse at all, there was nothing they could do for him. Patrick had a rare case of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. Scott and I were sitting in this little conference room with all these doctors and the chaplain who were telling us that we needed to make this decision pretty quickly. And it was either the bypass or the heart transplant. Scott and I just knew without even speaking, He spoke to our hearts and said, “If you leave this with Me, then it will be all right.” And so that’s what we basically did. We said, “We’re going to give it up to God.” The Shugarts denied the heart transplant, telling doctors they were waiting on God. That night, Maureen called the 700 Club prayer line. I watch The 700 Club a lot and I have seen so many miracles on that show. And it just occurred to me that I should call them. So I called and they prayed with me. About a day or so later a doctor showed up with this research medication, and he said, “I heard about your baby.” Dr. Romero at Creighton University was conducting a blind study with an experimental drug and Patrick fit the requirements to participate. Patrick wasn’t guaranteed he’d receive the drug, and not a placebo, but to the Shugarts, the possibility was a ray of hope. He got the first dose that night and within a day or so he started making a reversal. Even the doctors were shocked. Within a week he was off all the medications. And that is really sort of unheard of. They woke him up and here was this strong, screaming baby who was really fighting to live. And so I was so happy that God had answered my prayers. Patrick remained in the NICU for three weeks. At his six-month checkup there were no signs of the illness that nearly took his life. Today, he is a happy, healthy, and very active six-year-old boy. I love God because He saves you when you are sick. Just to see him and when you think back of everything we went through to really remember where he was, how near death he was, and what a miracle he is. He is proof that you can stare death in the face and the message of the cross, that God can conquer everything, even death itself. God can conquer everything, anything. Here is something He conquered. This is Phillip of White Lake, Wisconsin. Are you aware of that, Wisconsin lady? Yes, I am. You are? Okay. I should let you reads this. He had a painful sore inside his nose. Despite the application of over the counter ointments, the condition persisted for a year. Oh, my goodness. Then one day while Phillip was watching The 700 Club, Terry, his fellow Wisconsinite, gave a word of knowledge that someone was having problems with the sinus cavity. She said to put a hand over that part of the face, believe God for His power. Phillip did that. Immediately the pain subsided. The next few days, the pain was completely gone. The sore has been healed, and he is praising the Lord. That’s wonderful. All right. Well, is Betty. She lives in Prescott, Arizona. She had a severe infection in a gland behind her right ear, and apparently recurring, because these infections caused her to develop hearing problems. One day she was watching this program, Pat. You had a word of knowledge. You said, “Somebody has got an infection. It’s very sore in what I believe is called the mandible bone behind your ear.” So Betty put a hand on her right ear while you were speaking. When she took it away, she said she heard a crackling noise, then a very warm feeling flowed from the inside of the ear to the outside. When the warmth stopped, the pain she had been experiencing was gone. Her hearing improved immediately. When she went to the doctor, he said there was no sign of infection in the ear. It looked fine. And she hasn’t had any problems since then. Yes! Yes, completely. Completely healed. Amen. Wonderful. Ladies and gentlemen, you say the word of knowledge. If you read the 1st Corinthians, the 12th chapter, look at it. The apostle Paul says these are certain manifestations of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is within us. I’ve been reading. I was reading John today. Jesus said, "I will be in you. You will be in Me. I’m in the Father. The Father is in Me. The Holy Spirit is going to come. The Holy Spirit will be in you.” And I’m trying to figure, this is God. He’s God of all of the universe. How does He get inside of us? How do we get inside of Him? You read that, and think about it. What happens? How do spirits come together? He is a Spirit, and we're spirits. And the Holy Spirit comes in. And He is empowered. He can do anything. He is the God of the universe. Of course He can fix your ear bone. Of course He can fix other parts of your body. Of course He can take care of finances. He is God. So let's pray, and let's believe God. The Bible says Abraham believed God. He amened God, and God say, “Okay, I count that for righteousness.” Now, Terry and I are going to join hands, and we're going to believe God for you. “Father, we come before you now. Terry and I join hands together, and we thank you for the mystical, marvelous power of the Holy Spirit. We thank you for what you've given to all of us. We thank you, Lord, of how you come into our lives, and you said you will be in us, and we will be in you, and Jesus Christ will be in us. And, Lord, you said whatever we ask in your name, it will be done. And so we come before you now, and we ask for the people, those who have been praying, those who have been crying out, those who are sick and infirm.” There is somebody sitting in a wheelchair right now, and you've got a leg that somehow has been crushed. And if you just put your hand on that leg at this moment, the bones are going to knit together, and you’re going to have a miraculous healing, in Jesus’ name. Terry. There is a man. You have a problem. It’s at the lower part of your spine in that whole hip area called the pelvic girdle. And you have, I don’t know what it is, if it’s arthritis, but you have so much pain you can barely move. God is touching that for you right now. And whatever has been lost in bone or in muscle there, God is healing that for you. Just receive it now. There is somebody that’s got an abscess. I believe it’s on the coccyx of the tailbone. And at this moment, that abscess is going to drain and be absolutely healed, in the name of Jesus. Someone else, you have rheumatoid arthritis in your hands. They're all swollen and gnarled, but it’s the pain that’s so difficult. God is touching your hands right now and healing them. Just receive that. You’re going to feel that warmth that we talked about come into your hands as you’re set free. Somebody has been praying. You’re praying, I think, for a refinancing of a house. You need 150,000 dollars. And at this moment, God is going to give you favor. You're going to receive what you need. And the blessing of God is going to be upon you. Now, for everybody in this audience, let the power of God come upon you now. In Jesus' name, receive an answer. Amen. Amen. God is good. God is very good. God is very good. One of the things we should say, you’ve said this before, but I know there are probably many of you at home saying, “Well, I wish they’d said whatever my condition, whatever malady is.” God is able to touch you right now. You don’t have to have your sickness named, your condition named. Just be set free. Receive His healing. When He is pouring it out, it is available to everyone who calls upon His name with faith. So reach out and take it. Well, still ahead, it’s time to Bring It On with your questions from our chat room. RV says, “My husband and I want to have kids. However, my husband just learned that he is sterile. Do you think we should seek treatment? Or do you think God's will is for us to not have children?” Well, stay tuned. Pat is going to answer that question and more when we come back. My name is Roger Stump, and I’m a cancer survivor. The surgeon said it's inoperable. “It's already in your liver.” My wife, Brenda, sat there and cried; and I'm thinking, “I can't die right now. I'm only 52 years old.” I was so distraught. I've heard Cancer Treatment Centers of America have experience with pancreatic cancers. It was like night and day. The hospital just breeds an environment of hope. You get a CT scan, and the next morning the results were read to you. We’d go up there; I just knew it was going to be a good result. You could just see the joy on Dr. Granik’s face. Call now and we’ll show you how the most compassionate people anywhere put you at the center of everything we do. Together, we'll explore real treatment options you may not even know exist. Cancer Treatment Centers of America. It is such a different place, because they give you hope. I would strongly urge you to call them and get a second opinion. Please call today. Welcome back to The 700 Club. A Florida town is facing a Christmas controversy in July. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU, is threatening to sue the city of Plantation, Florida if it puts up its annual Christmas Christian display. The Sun Sentinel newspaper reports Plantation displays Christian and Jewish symbols in the city park every Christmas. The ACLU says the display violates the separation of church and state, because it promotes two religions and ignores all others. City officials say no decision has been made yet. CBN WorldReach and Operation Blessing teamed up in the Philippines. The two organizations put on Happy Kids Camps for children living in remote villages. Children were able to enjoy stories, songs, fun activities, toys, and snacks. The mission of the camps is to give hope and bring joy to the kids. They're often held alongside Operation Blessing medical outreaches. This year, more than 10,000 children have decided to follow Jesus because of these camps. That’s great. And you can find out more about CBN WorldReach by logging on to CBN.com/WorldReach. Pat and Terry will be back after this. Store sales Now is a good time to get a new HD TV but, did you know you need more than a cool TV to see true HD? Thirty percent of the people watching a high def television are not watching high def programming. Why would they do that? Store sales Because you need a HD provider. Dish Network is the leader in hi def. I'm going to step up and check out Dish Network. Now get the biggest deal in entertainment for just $24.99 a month for a full year, plus get your HD channels absolutely free for life. Store sales Guess how much Dish Network charges you for HD? $50 bucks? Store sales $50 bucks! No, it’s free! Free for life. Free is better. Store sales Free HD for life. How cool is that? That is very cool. I like free. I can afford free. Free for life? Store sales Free for life. Bring it. Call today and you'll also get HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Stars, free for three months. That's over 30 premium movie channels free. With Dish Network, HD is free for life. Store sales Free! Free! Store sales Bam! Coo! I think I gotta get some Dish Network. Awesome. How do I sign up? Gotta go Dish. I want Dish Network. Store sales Let’s watch TV. With Dish Network, HD is free for life. Call and switch to Dish Network today. Well, we love to hear from you, and many of you have submitted questions on line, and so we want to take some time to answer those. Pat, this is Jesse, who says, “Pat, what do you think about this as a plan to reduce the deficit: we raise the prices on tobacco and liquor to Canadian prices, 12 dollars for cigarettes, 15 dollars for a case of beer, 25 dollars for liquor. Maybe this plan would cut down on medical costs as well. What do you think?” Well, I’m afraid it's like putting a Band-Aid on cancer. It would probably do a little bit. But, unfortunately, I say unfortunately, if it happened, people would quit drinking and smoking, and, yes, it might help some health care costs. But anything. Okay. Okay, DC wants to know, “Are we getting to the point in our economy where we should start stockpiling food and be prepared to defend it?” I was talking at our board meeting at CBN the other day, and saying, can you imagine, I’ve got a stash of food, so I’m going to get a 30.30, and if some hungry person comes up there, I’m going to blast him away and say, “I love Jesus.” No way. We’re not going to do something like that. Actually, it’s an opportunity to show who Jesus is. Compassion and love. And we’ve just got to ask the Lord to open the food. Nevertheless, nevertheless, the Bible says that the wise man sees the danger, and he hides himself. There are serious economic problems facing our world, and they're going to come upon us within the next two years. We're going to see some dislocation of credit. We’re going to see some difficult with banks. We're going to see a lot of things. So the idea of having a stash of dried food around and some water source and medicine and a few things like that that you need to survive is not bad. You could have an ax, and you could have some matches. You could have a few things, because you may be put back on more basics. But, let's face it, the people who live in cities, the vast majority, millions of people live in cities, and maybe they could have some little gardens or something. But we need to get back to some basics. But the whole idea of storing food and getting guns to defend it, no way. Don't even think of it that way. All right. This is RV, who says, “My husband and I want kids. However, my husband just learned he is sterile. Do you think we should seek treatment? Or do you think God’s will is for us to not have children?” Well, you say sterile. Does that mean he is not creating any sperm, and he doesn’t have the ability? Well, I don’t know what treatments you can get for that. But, of course, you can have children. You can have an embryo transplant. You could bring forth a child. It wouldn’t necessarily have your genes. Or the wife could have some kind of a treatment to where she could get pregnant. Somebody else would be the father, at least the biological father. Or better than that, you can do what our dear sister Terry does, adopt. There are children who yearning . . . . I’m for it. There are so many children looking for loving couples. Yes. There’s so many that want love so badly. Yes. Yes. And, of course, you can have children. All right. Okay, this is Rom, who says, “I have received Christ, but I have still been so depressed and sick that I have no desire to live any longer. I don't understand why God is keeping me here. I see no future.” Well, as long as you think you see no future, there is no future. You’ve got to have hope. Hope is what makes you believe. Hope is essence of what’s going to happen. You have to have hope. Without hope, you're going to die. So you don't have hope. Let me suggest, number one, I know this sounds simplistic, you start exercising. You start eating appropriate type of food. You stop eating junk food, and you start eating vitamin B, a full B complex, maybe therapeutic Bs, B12 and things like that. And you eat vegetables, meat, and you get out and you exercise. And you do some serious hard, physical labor. And you stop thinking about yourself. Go down to a relief agency. Go down to a homeless shelter. Go down to where the people are really desperate, and start trying to help them. And get off this pity party you're engaged in. As long as you focus in on that thing, it will be dark clouds on you. Look beyond yourself. Look at what God has given you. Look at the universe, and begin to praise God. And when the day starts out saying, “This is the day the Lord hath made. I rejoice and am glad in it,” instead of saying, “I have no reason to live.” Of course you have. Think of what you can do. Think of the people who need you. And when you go down to one of those places, like the shelter, they're so grateful to somebody who comes and loves them. Old folks, they want somebody to talk to them. They’re lonely. They want somebody to come and read to them, talk to them. You can do that. So get with it. And you’ve often said—Ron says that he’s depressed and sick. But you’ve said many times that’s a chemical imbalance. Yes, it is. And there are things you can take for that. Well, depressed and sick—of course, there are things you can take, but I don't know if you want to get on happy pills. But I do think right diet, stopping the bad diet, and getting some fresh air, outdoor exercise with sunlight, serotonin in your eyes, and you’ll start feeling better. And then go out and help somebody. All right. Next. This is Liz, “Is it okay to receive counseling to get help, are you just supposed to wait on God?” Well, I think God puts us together, so that we can help one another. The Bible says don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. So there is nothing with asking help to people. The nice thing about being married, if you've got a good marriage, is that you're supposed to help each other, and two are better than one. So maybe, I don’t know, maybe you ought to get married. Terry. Okay. Or maybe she is. I don’t know. Maybe she’s already married. Beyond that, I’m not going to say. All right. Well, we thank you for your questions. That’s all the time we have for answering them today, but we welcome them at any time. Just go to CBN.com. Well, as a young boy, Yaroslav had to fend for himself. He had to rummage through the trash just to find food, and he slept wherever he could find shelter. The reason? It was better than living in the local orphanage. Yaroslav grew up without a father and could never count on his alcoholic mother. No one took care of me. There was nothing to eat, and it was cold. I was in bed and would cry. Sometimes I would leave the house. Yaroslav found shelter in an abandoned shack. When he was hungry, he looked through the garbage for food. Sometimes he stole it. Occasionally a neighbor offered him something to eat, but that wasn't often. He didn't know what to do. All he was certain of was that he didn't want to go to an orphanage. I knew it would be bad there, because other kids beat you up and steal your things. Instead of going to an orphanage with hundreds of other children, Yaroslav was taken to a small center supported by Orphan’s Promise. I like everything about living here, the computers, the TV set, the playground. The caregivers were kind to me, and I have a lot of friends who are like family. Here in Ukraine, 95 percent of the children who leave the orphanage system head out on their own without any job skills or life skills. So it’s not just that they can’t find work, they don't know how to get an apartment, pay the bills, or manage money. But luckily, and thanks to the help of Operation Blessing, the children here will leave with all the skills they need to live a full life. Here at the center, Yaroslav is learning computer skills that will help him get a job one day and life skills that will help him live on his own. During one of the lessons, Yaroslav heard about salvation for the first time. When there was no one around, I got on my knees and asked God to forgive me. It felt wonderful. Now I don't want to do anything bad. I only want to do good things. Yaroslav prays every day. He often reads the Bible and asks God to help make his dreams come true. I pray God will save my mother and that she will be all right and live for many more years. But here I have everything I need. I have friends and good food to eat. Thank you so much. Yaroslav is such a precious child, and there are so many like him. You're making a difference in their lives if you're a 700 Club member, because we are touching lives of orphans around the world, kids who have no one to belong to, no one to care for them. Yaroslav has come know Jesus. And you know what that’s given him? It’s given him exactly what Pat talked about a few moments ago: hope, the ability to dream, to see his value, and to know that he has a future. That’s what you’re helping us to do. Will you join the 700 Club right now, so that we can touch even more lives like Yaroslav's? It’s so simple, 65 cents a day, 20 dollars a month, makes you a 700 Club member. We’re asking you to go to your phone. Our number is toll-free. It’s so simple. You call that toll free number, 1-800-759-0700. Just say, “I want to join the 700 Club.” Right away, you become part of an army of people who are reaching out to the world with the love of Jesus. And when you do, our way of saying thank you is to send you this latest release, Life Beyond the Grave. These are real life accounts of people who have died. Some went to Heaven. Some went to Hell. They’re sharing what they experienced, and Pat is teaching on here what the Bible has to say about it. And by the way, if you would like one for yourself, but also one for someone else, join 700 Club Gold. We’ll send you two of these, and you’ll be able to keep one for you and give one to someone that you care about, that you’d like to know about the life hereafter and the purpose and plan that God has for us. So call right now: 1-800-759-0700. Terry, how many kids is Orphan’s Promise working with now? Well, thousands. We’re in over 50 countries, and so . . . . Thousands? Thousands and thousands of kids. So they’re like that boy. Where did you get them? They’re on the street? Yes. Sometimes they're on the streets. Sometimes they come from an orphanage, especially the kids that age out. They don’t have anywhere—they either go back to a dysfunctional family environment, if they have a family, or they literally have nowhere to go. And the children many times are drunks, pimps, prostitutes, that kind of thing? Well, the poverty level is what does it. Poverty? Yes. When you are in poverty, you make choices that are unimaginable, really, that you wouldn’t make otherwise. And these kids really have no hope. If they’re let go, they’d be preyed upon by evil people. Even if they found a job, and they worked, Pat, if somebody doesn't teach them what family is, when you come out of dysfunction, you go back into dysfunction, because that's what seems right. So it’s an opportunity to change the way they think. And who knows? We often talk about in abortion what kind of leadership we’ve lost. Who knows what role these children will play in their countries as they grow up? Well, I tell you, my heart is touched by this, ladies and gentlemen. To think that we’re doing something. Terry started this Orphan’s Promise. It’s part of CBN, obviously, but it’s a wonderful outreach. And her heart reaches out to these children. They could be your kids. They could be your grandchildren. They're precious in God's sight, precious children. Great potential is out there, and all they need is a loving, caring environment, where they can grow up as God intends them. Orphan’s Promise. So sit down and write a check and say, “Here is for Orphan’s Promise. I want to do something.” You can use money, I guess, on that? Boy, we have a waiting list of kids who need help. Okay. All right. Well, growing up, speaking of growing up, Anthony Johnson wanted to be just like this brother. When he got older, he got that chance by becoming a drug dealer. When I started selling drugs, some of my aspirations were to be in the glamorous life, to be able to wear the nice leather jackets, the Eight Ball jackets back then, the Gucci jacket, the Louis Vuitton. I come from a family of five, and my mom didn't have the money to get us all of the latest. Anthony Johnson’s older brother showed him the ropes of the drug business, and soon they were big names on the streets. But deep down, Anthony knew there was more to life than hustling. Sometimes I would kind of ponder my life. All kinds of things would go through my mind, like wanting something better out of life, knowing there was something else, but not really knowing what is was. Anthony was good at selling cocaine and made lots of money, but once he started using up his inventory, all his money went back into feeding his habit. His expensive coke binges left no money for rent and he ended up homeless. I realized it was an addiction when I started withdrawals in the morning and wanted to get high all day. I wanted to even rob and steal to get the drugs. That’s when it kind of got to a limit or went further than I had imagined. Coming down from a high one night, Anthony cried out to the God he remembered from his childhood church experiences. I was really crying, crying out, “Lord, I’m tired of living like this. I’m tired of getting high. I’m tired of the drugs and not having any money in my pocket. I’m tired of just this lifestyle. I’m tired of it.” But I didn’t know how to get past it. All I knew was that I wanted something different. His binge came to a screeching halt when he was arrested for cocaine possession and six charges of driving with a suspended license. During the first few months of his incarceration, Anthony met a jail chaplain who asked him a question he’d never thought about. He asked me where would I go if I died today. He started telling me how I could be a better person, how I could live a holy life, things that I’ve never heard. Nobody had ever told me that or shared those things with me. Me being a, quote, unquote, “tough guy,” that was just different. And I really received Jesus that day. I believe when Jesus came in, I believe He showed me something different. I saw a picture of a future that I really never dreamed of. Anthony wanted to please God, but when he was released from his six-month sentence, he made the mistake of going back to his old friends. And just a week later, he was back in jail. This time he served a month for driving on a suspended license and resisting arrest. And I really felt bad and scared at the same time. I felt like God was not playing with me. I said, “This is serious. I need to take my life seriously.” I got kind of scared then. And at the same time, I was afraid to really face the chaplain, because I knew the chaplain was there, and a lot of the guys that I ministered to and encouraged. I really felt ashamed. A spirit of shame was on me, because I felt like really I let myself down. I let my family down. I told my baby’s mother that I wasn’t going back. And I know it hurt her to see me go back and do the very thing I said I wasn’t going to do. After his month in jail, Anthony went to live with his sister, far from the influence of his old neighborhood and friends. He got a job as a janitor and began to attend church. Within a year, the judge in Anthony’s pending drug case dismissed all charges against him, because he saw that he was a changed man. I had to lose all of that, who I thought I was in the streets and everything, which I was trying to hold on to that part of my life and serve God. And I really had to just surrender all to God. I believe that last month really, really dealt with me to just release who I thought I was to God. And then, also, to be honest with myself. Another motivator was his young daughter, Ashante. She was two years old, and she was growing, and I really wanted to be a father to her. I really wanted to be responsible. And I really wanted a family. Anthony married his girlfriend Atina once he got out of jail. That was 16 years ago. He also graduated from seminary and is a pastor and chaplain at the same jail where he was incarcerated. I say going to jail is the best thing that happened, because that’s where change happened for me. That was God giving me an opportunity to really look over my life, really see the wrong that I’ve done, and really see the people I’ve hurt, and gave me an opportunity to make a decision in my heart that I needed to do something different. I needed to do something better. I believe that God has really set me up to be something special. I believe everybody has an assignment on this earth, and we just have to find out what it is. We have to find out what it is, and we have to embrace it. Lots of times it takes something really devastating, like jail, for someone to wake up and say, “I want to live differently. I want to change.” But it doesn't have to be that way. If you're struggling today with your life, you can hear the message that Anthony so clearly shares with all of us: “I surrendered.” We sing that old song. What do we say? “I surrender all.” All. That's everything. He so clearly talked about needing to let go of who he thought he was, and how he thought his life should go. That's what that means. It means Jesus has a plan for you. It was ordained from before the beginning of time. The question is, will you embrace Him? Will you embrace that plan? Will you set aside your purposes, your identity, and let God show you what He created you for? It’s a great adventure. And for those of you who find yourself stuck right now in a life of your own making, isn't it time to be sick and tired of being sick and tired? Isn’t it time to look up with humility and say, “God, I’ve sinned against you.” He is just waiting for you to come. When you do, His love, His mercy, His grace will overpower your life. Ask Him to come into your heart. Ask Him to be the one who directs and orchestrates your days, the things that fill your life, the way that you think. Ask Him to forgive you for all the time that He has waited while you've been doing your own thing. You know the great thing about God is His mercy is so amazing, His love so great. He never gets tired of loving you. The Bible says He never stops thinking about you. It’s time for you to think about Him and surrender your life to Him. Jesus died for you. Now receive the work that He did on Calvary for yourself, for your life. And be set free. The Bible says the one the Son sets free is free indeed. We have counselors standing by at phones. If you’d like to pray with someone, there are people who have been set free themselves. Call now: 1-800-759-0700. Pat. Thanks, Terry. Hey, tomorrow, we've got a tremendous show for you. Sheila Walsh will be here. You don’t want to miss that. And we've got a guy who took a celestial journey. He was doing occult stuff, and all of a sudden he was caught up going into the stars. It’s quite a story. And you don’t want to miss it. Well, we leave you today with these words from Luke 11 chapter 11 . . . . . . . . “For everyone who ask receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Well, that’s all the time we’ve got. Thanks for being with us. And Lord willing, we will see you at this same time tomorrow on The 700 Club. Here at CBN, we see amazing things happen when we stand together. That’s why we want to say thank you to the thousands of you . . . . . . . . who recently pledged to join the 700 Club. Your monthly gift makes it possible to bring crucial help to those who need it most. You help heal the sick, feed the hungry . . . . . . . . and preach the Gospel across America and throughout the world. You’ve brought health and hope to people in desperate need. And changed their lives forever. When Kitty was abandoned by her parents she went to live with her grandmother in the middle of a garbage dump. They ate scraps of food from the dump and tried not to get bitten by the rats. That's when you built them a new home and set up a small clothing business near the market for Kitty's grandmother. You rescued them from hunger and fear. So please watch for this mailing and send in your pledge. This year millions will know . . . . The love and saving power of Jesus Christ. And that only happens, because you were there.