The 700 Club - July 5, 2011

Well, welcome to The 700 Club. For today’s headlines, let’s go over to the CBN News Desk. Thanks Gordon. The July 4th weekend brought celebrations of freedom across the US. It also brought out many of the Republican candidates for president hoping to set off a few fireworks of their own. Efrem Graham has more. Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann, rolled into Iowa for her first trip as a presidential candidate. She attended church, a prayer breakfast and parades. My goal is to take the reasonable, fair-minding voice of Iowa not only to the halls of Congress, but now to the White House, where it's been missing for far too long. Newt Gingrich traveled Iowa's Fourth of July parade route, and so did Governor Rick Santorum. We’re trying to build a real solid grass roots effort with our focus being having to be in a good position, come February. Jon Huntsman pushed to build his grass roots campaign in New Hampshire, where he and family marched in a parade and met with small groups. It's a marathon when you approach it that way, but in New Hampshire that is the only way it is done. It's done hand shake by hand shake. Republican front-runner Mitt Romney shook hands along a parade route in Amherst and then took aim at the President in Washington. The recession is deeper because of our president. It's seen an anemic recovery because of our president. The people who want the status quo can vote for him, but people who want real change and jobs for Americans are going to vote for us. Businessman and presidential hopeful Herman Cain skipped the parades. Instead, he threw out the first pitch at the Fisher Cats game in Manchester. He lost two high-level staffers in the last week but says his campaign is still on track. We are going to be opening up our office in New Hampshire. Efrem Graham, CBN News. Minnesota lawmakers got in earful from constituents at July 4TH parades over the ongoing government shutdown there. Some shouted support, but others voiced opposition. State parks and industries like logging are shut down, because there's no funding to keep public lands open. The state has a big deficit problem. Newly elected Republicans say voters gave him a mandate to deal with the problem. But their budget was rejected by Minnesota's Democratic governor, because it didn't raise income taxes, and that's what caused the government shutdown last Thursday. A federal judge temporarily blocked Kansas from enforcing its new abortion regulations. Those rules make it more difficult for clinics to obtain licenses to perform abortions. They would've forced two of the states three abortion clinics to stop. A US district judge ruled that the requirements would hurt abortion clinics by denying them business and patients. He also says the rules would hurt patients by preventing them from having abortions at the provider of their choice. China's controversial one-child policy was supposed to control explosive growth in the world's most populous country. But it also led to an unexpected practice called gendercide. Recently the campaign to end gendercide collided with Washington's drive to cut spending. John Jessup explains. China may be America's fiercest competitor on the world stage, but pretty soon Chinese men will be competing against each other to keep their family lines alive. By the year 2020, between 40 to 50 million Chinese men won't be able to find wives. Today, India and China eliminate more girls than the number of girls born in America every year. Human rights groups blame it on a modern-day genocide against baby girls. They call it "gendercide." These girls tend to be aborted, killed right after birth, abandoned and trafficked. China's not alone. Many Asian cultures like India, South Korea, and Vietnam, place a premium on boys which leads some couples to abort their babies once they find out it's a girl. But it's also practiced in places like Armenia and the Republic of Georgia. Chai Ling founded “All Girls Allowed” to address the problem and raise awareness, calling special attention to China's one child policy which they say has resulted in killing about 50 million girls. I believe that China ought to be today at the Hague answering crimes against gender, crimes against humanity, for what they have done. The assault also targets the United Nations' Population Fund which promotes China's one-child policy. Critics say the UN arm is complicit in China's forced abortions and sterilizations. So when Republicans asked the public what programs should be on the chopping block in their "Youcut" program, All Girls Allowed suggested the U.N. Population Fund. Chai Ling: We just quickly mobilized our prayer warriors and also our supporters. We said, “Vote! Vote!” and we had two days to vote, and then we were able to get the votes in. President Reagan cut back on it. George W. Bush cut back on it. It's one of those issues that, unfortunately, President Obama reinstated. Our hard-earned tax dollars need to go to more beneficial things. If the House passes the bill, it would still have to clear the Senate and be signed by the president, but that doesn’t appear likely. For Chai Ling and her supporters, they see it as a win-win. It's not only about cutting spending and saving money, but it's also about saving lives. John Jessup CBN news Capitol Hill. Now, let’s go back over to Terry Meeuwsen for more of today’s 700 Club. Well, coming up, a businesswoman with a big house and a company car. I never dreamed that I would find myself unemployed. They said that we may not get our last paychecks, that the following Monday our insurance benefits would cease to exist. See what saved this woman from having to sell her home, after this. Coming up later, NFL gunslinger Kurt Warner goes for the Hail Mary . . . . Short, brown spiky hair with the miniskirt on and the red boots. . . . . and fumbles. “Seriously, I’m not playing a game. So I’m 25, a divorced mother of two. If I never see you again, I totally understand.” Meet the teammate that got him back in the game. We would honestly either argue about Jesus, or we would decide that night to make out. 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 IRAs are up in value over 150 percent. 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. Jennifer Dickenson was living her dream job, a great job, a beautiful home, and a company car. But when the recession hit, Jennifer watched it all disappear overnight. Jennifer Dickenson always wanted to live in a big house in the country. So she worked hard as a national account manager to achieve her goal. She never thought her livelihood was in jeopardy. I never dreamed that I would find myself unemployed. But that’s exactly what happened when the business she worked for went bankrupt overnight. They said that we may not get our last paychecks. We most likely would not be reimbursed for any outstanding expenses, that the following Monday our insurance benefits would cease to exist. Those things combined cost Jennifer close to 5,000 dollars. In addition, she lost her company car and her gas card, which meant large bills she had never had before. I’m single, so there was no one to share the expenses with. The mortgage and the expense of having a home was all on me. So when her savings ran out, Jennifer put her house on the market. Month after month, she looked for work and for ways to cut costs. She had been a faithful CBN partner since 1998 and wasn’t sure if she could continue giving. I was tempted to decrease my giving or maybe stop giving altogether for a while. But I just settled it early that it was not a choice for me, that God had been faithful to me. There was no way that I was going to give to Him and give to the needs of other people through Operation Blessing and Orphan’s Promise and CBN and that the Lord would not make a way for me. Jennifer was at church one Sunday when someone gave her an idea. One of the elders suggested that I be very specific in my petition to God about the type of job that I wanted, the position that I wanted, and all of the details. Jennifer made her list and didn’t hold back. She contacted The 700 Club and asked CBN to agree with her in prayer. Then while she was watching a special 700 Club webcast dedicated to overcoming financial difficulty, she got a call. And it was the company that I had written down on the paper. That was only a week later. They said they had my resume, that I was one of the candidates that they wanted to interview. Two months later, Jennifer got the job. I got everything that I wrote on that list, the position, the salary, the company car. Jennifer didn’t have to sell her house after all. One of the most exciting parts of getting my job was to pick up the phone and call the realtor and say, “I’m taking my house off the market.” And what about all the savings that she lost? I just recently got my tax returns, and I was able to put that into savings. So I’m saving again. And I am getting back on track. And God is restoring me. I think it’s a miracle. Now Jennifer encourages others who are going through tough economic times. When we are in times of need, that could possibly be the best time to give to others and to just release and let God have everything and give the principle of reciprocity an opportunity to work. He did it for me. And I know that He will do it for you. He will do it for you. He loves it when His kids keep track of these things, whether you keep track of the increase, or you say, “Lord, here’s the job I want. Here are the details.” That way, you know when He’s answered the prayer. When you start praying with specificity is the time that God really moves into action, because then you’ll know that it was Him. It wasn’t based on your own effort. It was based on Him and what He can do for you. Here it is from Psalms 37 . . . . . . . . “Trust in the Lord.” That’s the first thing. Just trust Him. Trust His Word. Trust that He will do what He says He’s going to do. And then on our part, “do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire.” Jennifer learned that firsthand, that He would give her her heart’s desire, give her a dream job, give her a dream home, enable her to stay, enable her to prosper, all because she was doing her part, which is doing good. So do that. Resolve today that you’re going to trust God and do good. Terry. Well, right now, we want to take you to a village in China. Children were getting a good education at their local school, but they were also getting sick from the school’s drinking water. Ten-year-old Wuji is a star student at her small primary school in southern China. She especially loves physical education, and she pushes herself very hard in class. I love to run and skip rope with my classmates. Usually, I outrun and outskip everyone. Wuji’s teacher says that she should always drink water after she exercises, so she doesn’t get dehydrated. But many days, there’s no fresh water available for the children. All we have is rainwater that makes its way on the ground through old pipes and to our school. It’s dirty and cloudy and not good to drink. We try to provide buckets of clean water for our students, but there is not much we can do. It still gets filled with pebbles and stones. The kids should not drink it, or they will get sick. It’s difficult for children to learn when they don’t have enough water in their bodies. I get so thirsty that I can’t even focus on what is going on in class. There have been days that Wuji was so parched that she had to drink the dirty water at school. Recently, when she did this, she got very ill. She was sent home from school and unable to return. That’s when CBN found out about the water problem at Wuji’s school and built a well and a new water basin for the children. Now there is always clean water for the kids. They can wash their hands after playing and their faces after PE. They can even take fresh water home to their families. As for Wuji, she doesn’t have any more stomachaches, and there’s always enough water for this young athlete. Whenever I turn on the tap, there is clean water pouring out. It’s very sweet and healthy. And because Wuji comes from a poor single parent home, CBN decided to pay for both her and her brother’s education. Now, there’s nothing stopping these children from a bright future. CBN really helped us. They care about my children and about all the students at school. We never could have done this by ourselves. I’m so happy to everyone that helped me. I wish you a wonderful life and all my classmates say thank you, too. You are providing clean drinking water, not just for this child and her classmates, but also for the families in that village, and providing education for her, for her brother. This kind of thing is happening all around the world, and it happens because people like you join the 700 Club. If you’re not a member of the 700 Club, it’s a great day to partner with the rest of us to reach out to the world with the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ and then be a part of these life changing endeavors as well. You can join us by going to your phone and calling right now. Our number is toll free. It’s so simple: 1-800-759-0700. Just say, “I want to join the 700 Club.” Sixty-five cents a day, 20 dollars a month, makes you a 700 Club member. And when you call, if you say, “I want to give through Pledge Express,” that’s electronic monthly giving. It means your bank does all the work. You have none of the hassle, don’t have to remember, no stamps, no envelopes. It saves us a lot in administrative costs, so we can put even more of your gift right into the lives of children like Wuji. So when you call and say that, we want to say thank you by sending you “Power for Life” teachings. Each month you’ll get one of these, and we believe that they will touch your life and enhance your faith as well. So call now. Be a world changer. You can make a difference. Gordon. Well, up next, NFL superstar Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda. We knew what we believed before the NFL gave us millions of dollars. So when the millions of dollars come, that’s not who defines us. See how this famous couple met and what’s kept them together for 20 years. Still ahead . . . . ( “. . . . Well Johnny Cash is dead and his house burned down . . . .” . . . . country music’s Larry Gatlin talks about the pitfalls of fame. I didn’t realize that “show business” was two words. I took care of the show. I didn’t take very good care of the business. Later on today’s 700 Club. Our world moves at an incredible pace, but there is a destiny that awaits each one of us, and all of us will face life’s ultimate question: where will I spend eternity? In Life Beyond the Grave . . . . . . . . you’ll meet real people who’ve experienced Heaven or Hell and have a powerful witnessing tool to share with others. I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your destiny is sealed forever in Heaven. This is the information retailers don't want you to know, especially now. They don't want you to learn just how much money you've been giving away to retail markups on items you purchase for your home, all because you don't know how to buy like the insiders do at DirectBuy Club, the home improvement and furnishings club with direct insider prices. When you go to DirectBuy, you know that things are going to be a lot less than retail, and you don't have to worry about sales. It's just one price, and it's a low price, too. I would shop around and investigate; and without a shadow of a doubt, DirectBuy would have the lowest price. Members buy top-quality name brand merchandise from hundreds and hundreds of trusted manufacturers. So call the number on your screen now, and we'll rush you your free visitors pass to your local DirectBuy Club and your certificate for a free 30-day membership. This is a limited offer, so call now. Kurt Warner’s rise from grocery clerk to NFL quarterback is the stuff that dreams are made of. And his romance with his wife Brenda reads like a movie script. Sports reporter Shawn Brown talked with Kurt and Brenda about the journey that took them both to the top. Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Kurt Warner is regarded as one of the best to ever play the game. He’s been to the Super Bowl three times, winning Super Bowl XLIII with the St. Louis Rams. Statistically, the four-time Pro Bowler is the second most accurate quarterback in the history of the NFL. In the 2008 season he led the Cardinals to their very first Super Bowl appearance. But that’s just one side of Kurt’s story. The other side began over 20 years ago when he met his wife, Brenda. He was a struggling quarterback, and she was a single mom with two kids. One of the first times I’d ever gone to the bar, I wasn’t much into it, but my roommates kind of pulled me out to the bar. And I just noticed her from across the room, short, brown, spiky hair with the miniskirt on and the red boots and dancing up a storm out there. The two hit it off, and at the end of the night, Kurt tried to kiss her. And though Brenda was interested in him, she felt she needed to tell him about her situation. He leaned over to kiss me, and I thought, “Seriously, I’m not playing a game. So I’m 25, divorced, mother of two. If I never see you again, I totally understand.” The next day Kurt paid her a visit, and he was met at the door by her two-year-old son Zack. I went over there I guess to see her, but really the whole encounter was about her kids. I said hello, walked in the door and immediately saw her kids. Her son Zachary grabbed me by the hand, started leading me around the house. Zack warmed up to Kurt almost immediately, and it didn’t seem to matter to Kurt that Zack was blind. And that made quite an impression on Brenda who was watching them with her infant daughter, Jesse, in her arms. There are things that are deal breakers, and those are kind of deal makers, where Zachary took his hand. Being blind, he didn’t know who Kurt was walking in, but he just knew it was somebody new. And he walked in, laid on the floor with Zachary, wrestled him. I sat Jesse down, and he just interacted with the kids. And I thought, “This is something different.” Kurt's and Brenda’s relationship grew. But Kurt’s football career wasn’t going well. He tried out with the Green Bay Packers, but going up against the likes of Brett Favre and Trent Dilfer didn’t help. He was cut before the season even started. And now with no job and no money, he moved into Brenda’s parents' basement and got a job that only paid him $5.50 an hour. I took the infamous job of working nights at a grocery store. And it was. So much of life is about pride. And here I am living in her parents’ basement without a job, and I’m just thinking, “Gosh, this isn’t me. This isn’t what I do. I don’t want to be just kind of taking from everybody else and not giving anything.” Kurt and Brenda had a great relationship, but there were some things they didn’t see eye to eye on, especially when it came to having a relationship with God. He would tell me some detail, and I’d say, “Well, show me that in the Bible. If you think that that’s your core of your spiritual belief, show me.” So we would honestly either argue about Jesus or we would decide that night to make out that night. It was one or the other. And that was our dating process. And kind of weird. He preferred to make out. I preferred to argue about Jesus, until he finally got it. What was it that you believed? Was what you believed in, was it right or you just didn’t know where to find it? I think I just believed in the story. I understood the story. I understood that Jesus died on the cross. I always use the reference that He was kind of like my spare tire, that up to that point I was driving. I was in control, and if I ever needed Him, I could jump back in the back and grab my spare tire, and He could help me out in whatever trying time that was. Kurt and Brenda grew even closer, and Kurt felt the pressure to make enough money to marry and to have a family. So in 1995, he joined the Arena Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers. And when he did, he got more than he bargained for when his teammates invited him to a Bible study. It was in that process where I started to realize I really had no idea why I believed what I believed. So I thought, “Okay, they’re asking me these questions. I’m going to figure out some answers for them. I’m going to start reading the Bible, and I’m going to find out why I believe what I believe.” And it was through that process where, as you open the Bible and you read the scriptures, it’s obvious that it’s all about Jesus, and it’s all about what He did on the cross, and it’s all about giving your life to Him. And so in the process of trying to prove everybody around me wrong, I ultimately proved them all right. Kurt realized he needed to make a change. Then, Brenda had received news that her parents were killed when a tornado hit their town in Arkansas. I was hurting so much, and yet he was there to just listen and not judge me, and also be there for Jesse and Zach, my kids, because they lost their grandparents. I wasn’t playing well on the football field. Her parents were killed. It was right around that time where I’d came to the realization that I needed to commit my life to Jesus. During their grief, Kurt gave his life to the Lord. And when he did, things began to change. He and Brenda married. And after leading the Barnstormers to two consecutive Arena Bowl appearances, he was offered a chance to play in the NFL Europe League for the Amsterdam Admirals. Then in 1998, Kurt’s dream to play in the NFL was realized when he signed with the St. Louis Rams. (Interviewing): What changed? What changed was that I no longer was looking at me, and I began looking at everybody around me, and specifically looking at what God wanted for me. That was a complete change for me. I realized that it wasn’t about me. That if it works out in the NFL, it’s because God wants me there, and it’s for me to do something for Him. Kurt spent six seasons with the Rams. And after a season with the New York Giants, he moved on the Arizona Cardinals, but that pales to his role as husband and father of seven. He and Brenda have written book about their life together entitled First Things First, with the underlining message of staying focused on God. I had death hit me. I had divorce hit me. I had infidelity. I had a special needs child be affected. You don’t know what’s ahead. It’s a fallen world. So I encourage people to see that if you build that foundation, then that’s what matters. Just like our marriage. We knew what we believed before the NFL gave us millions of dollars. So when the millions of dollars come, that’s not who defines us. The NFL doesn’t. The popularity, the fame and fortune. We had that foundation built beforehand. It doesn’t mean everything is going to be perfect, and I think that’s what people get the sense of when, okay, they see Kurt Warner and they know his story, and Kurt and Brenda and the seven kids, and everything is just perfect. And that’s a huge part of this book is that it’s not perfect. Her life, she’s gone through struggles. I’ve gone through struggles. We still battle together. We struggle raising kids, but the thing like she said is that we always know that God is with us and God is leading us. And God is going to work it together no matter where we screw up. I don’t know how we’d do it without Him. I don’t know. I think back to years when I tried to do it by myself, and I think about my life now. And I think about marriage and seven kids, and I’m just thinking, “There was no way I could figure this out and be successful by myself,” that I know it’s all about Jesus, and that’s why we are what we are. That’s why we are where we are. It’s all about Jesus. He’s the one. He’s the one that if you say, “Okay, God, I’ll do it your way.” He’ll lead you into paths of righteousness. He’ll bring success to you. He’ll bring fulfillment to you. He’ll give you your heart’s desire, all because you want to live for Him. Now, you hear that story of Kurt and Brenda, and you go, “Wow, how could this ever be? How can you go from stocking grocery shelves to being a star NFL quarterback, winning Super Bowls? How can that happen?” Well, it happened because Kurt said, “I’ll let God. I’ll stop having Him be my spare tire. And you come on up front to the driver’s seat.” Now, God doesn’t promise to everyone that you’re going to be an NFL quarterback. He’s made each one of us unique. And He’s created good works for us to walk into, good works that are uniquely made for you, that will bring you satisfaction, that will really fulfill your heart’s desire. Now, each one of us comes to the table—you heard it from Brenda. We live in a fallen world, so things are going to come at you. And for her, all kinds of things came at her, where she had a special needs child. She had divorce. She had to walk through the death of her parents. She had a lot. But in all that process, she had God with her. What about you? What about you? Do you have God with you? Do you have God guiding you? Do you listen to Him every day? And do you say, every day, “God, not my will, but let your will be done.” Do you trust Him with your future? Do you trust Him that He has got plans for you, that He wants to give you a hope and a future? Do you trust all of that? Well, today, let today be the day you do that. And regardless if you’ve ever prayed this prayer before, even as professing Christians we have a tendency to drift away, and we want to do things our way. And we get frustrated sometimes. But today, if you’ll just turn it over to Him and trust Him, then He will do it. He’ll come through for you. So right now, if this is for you, bow your head with me. Pray a very simple prayer and let God do all the rest for you. Pray with me. “Lord Jesus.” That’s right. Say it out loud. “Lord Jesus, I come to you today and, Jesus, I turn my life over to you. And I ask that you would guide me, that you would protect me, that you would be with me. And Jesus, I proclaim right now that I want to follow you all the days of my life. Forgive me for the times that I’ve gone my own way, that I’ve left you, and restore me now and be with me now. Do all of this for me, for I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.” If you just prayed with me, and if this was the first time that you’ve prayed it, we’ve got a free packet for you. It’s called “A New Day.” And in there is teaching on how to live the Christian life. There is also a booklet filled with Bible verses. And if you want somebody to pray with you, you’ve got specific things that you want to be unburdened of, if you want to know if God can forgive you, we’re here for you. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call: 1-800-759-0700. Terry, over to you. Coming up, country music took Larry Gatlin to the top of the world and to the bottom. My end was taking lint out of the carpet thinking it was cocaine, snorting lint and putting it in a free base pipe. Larry shares the rest of his pilgrimage, after this. I didn’t understand what love was. I didn’t have a good example. I knew of God, and I would often think to myself, “God if your real, help me in this situation.” I told the Lord. I said, “God, I don’t have anything to offer you. It’s just me and my little baby, and I don’t have anything together.” I had peace; it was so refreshing. He loves you so much that He died for you. And if He can do all of this in my life, He can do it for you. Freezer burn steak, $20; dried out chicken, $15; moldy cheese, $5. Stop throwing cash in the trash. Save money with the Food Saver system. The number-one vacuum sealing system that keeps food fresh up to five times longer. Air can penetrate ordinary zipper bags. Food Saver bags keep air out, preventing freezer burn. With the food saver system, you can save up to $2700 a year. Save now with the kitchen appliance that pays for itself in just weeks. Available where ever small kitchen appliances are sold. Welcome back to The 700 Club. Pro-Palestinian organizers of a flotilla bound for Gaza say they will not give up on plans to break through Israel's sea blockade. The vessels are still docked in Greece, because the Greek government has banned them from leaving port. Three activists were detained for trying to set sail without permission Monday. And the American captain of another boat was arrested in a similar incident Friday. The US is warning Americans against participating in the flotilla. Last year's Gaza flotilla ended in violence, and Israel's allies are trying to prevent another incident. President Hugo Chavez has returned to Venezuela from Cuba. The leftist leader looked thin and weak as he addressed his nation in a surprise address. He says he feels fine, and as he recovers from surgery that removed a cancerous tumor. His illness has prompted concern though about Venezuela's stability. There is no succession plan for Chavez should he die in office. You can always get the latest from CBN news by going to our website at CBNNews.com. Gordon and Terry will be right back after this. 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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. Country music fans have no problem recognizing Larry Gatlin. But as Larry told Scott Ross, one night as he looked into the mirror, Larry didn’t recognize himself. Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers become one of country music’s most popular groups during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Larry and his brothers have a total of 33 Top 40 singles. The band’s biggest hits include Grammy-winner “Broken Lady” and “All the Gold in California” to name a few. I recently talked with Larry about his faith and his new project, The Pilgrimage. And we also discussed the few missteps along the path to stardom. (Interviewing): Your music, you started way back when you and your brothers, when you were kids. Little boys. Country music? Gospel music? No, Gospel music. I was six and a half, almost seven. Steve was four and Rudy was two. We won a little talent contest in Abilene, Texas, singing Gospel music. And we were big fans of the Blackwood Brothers, James Blackwood, and, of course, Elvis’s favorite group. And brother Hovie Lister and the Statemen Quartet, and the Spear Family and people like that. JD Sumner. JD Sumner, all those guys. We loved Gospel music. We learned to sing in the church. Up until the time all this Nashville thing happened back in '71, '72 when I met Dottie West, and she brought me to town, I always assumed and all I had ever wanted to be was a Gospel singer. Dottie West opened the door for you in many, many ways, didn't she? What was your first big hit? Dottie loved songs. You’d come to Dottie’s house—one night I drove into Dottie's house about 7:30 at night, and Kris Kristofferson was asleep on the couch. And Roger Miller was asleep on the floor, and Willie was scrambling eggs in the kitchen. That's where the songwriters in Nashville used to hang out, was at Dottie's place. “Sweet Becky Walker” was the first top 20 record we had. The first real giant hit was “Broken Lady” in 1975, won the Grammy for that in '75, '76. We've had a great life. I'm grateful for it. I never planned it that way, but like I say it was a bigger plan than mine. God laughs at men’s plans. Your success eventually overtook you, didn't it? I was 22, 23 years old, started making some money. We had unstructured time, a lot of time on our hands, the kind of money that a driller's kid from West Texas, an oil field man would never have dreamed of. My end was taking lint out of the carpet thinking it was cocaine, snorting lint and putting it in freebase pipe. That's my low. I wasn't exactly eating the husk of corn that the pigs wouldn't eat, but that's pretty good bottom. If you’re going to have a bottom, that’s pretty good. I crawled into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and saw the devil. I saw an image in that mirror that I did not recognize. And appropriately enough, I had crawled in there, I was on my hands and knees, and I said, “God, if you don't help me, I'm going to die.” Do you see where you veered off the road? Did you know God? Had He been a part of your life early on? He was always a part of my life. I became a Christian when I was a little six-year-old boy. We've got to remember the Book says that the devil “walketh about the earth to and fro seeking whom he may devour,” and he nearly got me, and he had me for a while. It didn't mean that I was no longer a Christian or that God had disowned me. The biggest mistake I ever made was snorting cocaine. The second biggest mistake I ever made, I didn't realize that show business was two words. I took care of the show. I didn't take very good care of the business. When Larry hit bottom and cried out to God, his life began to turn around. He believes God gave him a second chance at life. Now after nearly two decades, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers return to Nashville to produce their new album, The Pilgrimage. And on the project Larry wrote a tribute song to Johnny Cash. “Well, Johnny Cash is dead . . . .” “Johnny Cash is dead and his house burned down?” That’s true. And do you have a problem with that? Well, with Johnny Cash being dead, I do. You've got to realize the world will never be the same. Nashville will never be the same. Country music will never be the same. After all, Johnny Cash is dead, and his house burned down. How do you keep balance now and the perspective and the journey you've been on between the spiritual Gatlin, Larry Gatlin, and the man that's in this business, the husband, the father? They can't be different men. They have to be the same man. They have to be the spiritual man. It has to come from that. Thank God I have the things that my mother and father taught me, the things that I’ve learned from pastors and from spiritual teachers and the books that I read. Without fail, the days that I start off the right way with a little devotional time and putting God first, those days are really good days. I’ve been successful, and I’m grateful for that. I want to make a difference. I’ve decided that I'm not going to pound my fist anymore at those folks and at laws that I can't change. I'm going to try to take a loving look at the situation and do what God gave me the ability to do, and He'll bless it. A gifted man and a great message. God allows start-overs. Isn’t that wonderful news? Well, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers have released their first album in almost two decades. It’s called Pilgrimage, and you can get it wherever CDs are sold. I know you’ll enjoy it. Well, when we come back, Terry and I will be praying for you and your needs, right after this. Up next, bad news after surgery . . . . You’re never going to speak again above a whisper. . . . . a praying husband . . . . God spoke to me and says, “She is going to be fine.” . . . . a believing wife . . . . I’m going to believe for total healing. . . . . and the impossible outcome. This is absolutely a miracle what took place! Hi, I'm Howard Dvorkin, the founder of Consolidated Credit. For almost two decades, Consolidated Credit has helped millions of Americans just like you. We’ve helped nurses and doctors. We've helped police officers and firefighters. We've helped homemakers and home builders. We've helped over five million people suffering from credit card debt, and now we want to help you. Consolidated Credit is the one company you can trust. Our exclusive Freedom Quest program can help you find options and solutions to your financial challenges. We can reduce your monthly payments by up to 50 percent. Consolidate your bills into one easy payment. Save you thousands in interest and fees and help you get out of debt fast. When credit card debt is the problem, we’re the solution. We've helped over five million people. Let us help you. You're one call away from financial freedom. Call Consolidated Credit now: 1-800-441-1202. 1-800-441-1202. Obamacare is not only going to ruin our health care system, but it's going to put us so far in debt, we will never recover. Perhaps worst of all, it was concocted in an undemocratic process in locked rooms in the middle of the night. Obamacare was passed and rammed down the throats of the American people. In January after we delivered petitions to the House, they voted to repeal. Now the Senate is only four votes short of repeal as well. It's critical that you call today and add your voice to the new U.S. Senate petition. Even if you’ve signed a petition or made a call, do it again. And ask your friends to do it again. We don't want them to ever think that we're giving up so that they can give up. Call 1-800-899-5051 or go online to RepealItNow.org to sign the official petition. Together we can force Washington to repeal this costly and destructive law. Call 1-800-899-5051. Aurea McGarry hosts a TV show in the Atlanta area. Her voice is heard by thousands of people, and that’s incredible, because after she had surgery for cancer, doctors told her that she would never speak above a whisper. Aurea McGarry suffered from chest pains for almost a year before she received a grim prognosis from her doctor. And they told me that they found something in the x-ray and “the blood work doesn’t look good, so we think it’s some type of cancer, but we don’t know for sure.” My mom had just died of cancer a few years earlier, so when I heard the word cancer, I thought death. You marry the most beautiful woman in the world, and all of a sudden, that can be taken away from you in a split second. This cancer is invading our life. I just didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to go. My whole world just came crashing to a halt. I thought I was going to lose her. At that moment I said, “I’m going to believe for a miracle. I’m going to believe for total healing.” Because I’ve heard of people getting instant healing. And I kept thinking, “Well, I can do that, too. I believe.” My pastor was there praying. My husband was praying. We had called The 700 Club to pray. And it’s amazing. As soon as I called The 700 Club, I felt just so much peace. It was the most amazing thing. I was just a wreck before I called, but as soon as I called them, it gave me the relief that I needed. It gave me the strength that I never thought I could have. The doctors removed the cancer from her, but as she woke from the surgery, they delivered more bad news. “We had to take out the lining around your heart, disconnect half your diaphragm, and we had to remove one of the left nerves to your vocal chords, and you’re never going to speak again above a whisper. It would be impossible.” Aurea began six months of intense chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Really getting really sick and the doctor, I overheard him say, “This is the sickest patient that we have ever had.” Chemo almost killed me. My doctor said that the cancer’s curable, but the chemo was the real struggle. The prayers of her friends and family became a source of hope during her toughest moments. When I was lying on the floor in the bathroom just wrapped around the toilet bowl, he’d be on the phone. I could hear him agreeing in prayer on the phone with The 700 Club. And he didn’t stop picking up that phone and praying all days, hours, of the six months that I was in chemo, along with all of our friends and family and pastors. That meant a lot to us. You know what, when you’re sick, you really do feel the prayers. I felt a real warmth and that peace that passes all understanding. I knew I was going to be okay. Doctors finally said Aurea’s cancer was gone, but unfortunately, so was her voice. But I kept praying, kept standing in prayer that her voice would be restored. I said, “I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but it will be restored.” God spoke to me and said, “She is going to be fine.” And I couldn’t speak for almost a year. I was really, really bad, very faint. I couldn’t even make a phone call, because people would hang up on me thinking it was an obscene phone call. But about a year or so later my voice starts coming back. And before you know it, I just realized I’m talking. And it was kind of like one of those aha moments. This is really a lot better. And I went back every year to my doctor to get my checkup. And they’re like, “You’re sounding good. You’re sounding good.” I’m like, “Yes, and I’m not supposed to.” So I’m a testimony of miracles happening in God’s timing, not in our instant, “God, can you do this for me and do it now?” Doctors said this was impossible, that she would not speak no more than a whisper. And this is absolutely a miracle what took place. And so I believe in miracles. Today Aurea and Brian produce a TV show in the Atlanta area. Her voice can be heard encouraging people to expect the miraculous in their lives, too. Any time somebody says that can’t be done, that’s impossible, that’s an opportunity for God to show how great He really is. I don’t believe in impossible no matter what it is, because in God’s eyes, He can do anything. All things can be done through Jesus Christ. You can be healed, your drug addiction can be healed, your cancer can be healed, your stress can be healed. God wants us to make it very simple. Believe in Him, and believe in His Word, and everything can happen. Believe in Him. Believe in His Word, and everything can happen. It’s simple. We want to make it complicated. We want to come up with these little formulas. And then when it doesn’t happen immediately, we then start expressing all our doubts, and we start saying, “Well, have I tithed enough? Is there anybody I need to forgive? What’s blocking it?” And instead of just being just like little children to say, “Daddy, I believe in you. I trust in you.” Who is the father of our faith? Well, his name is Abraham. And God gave him a promise. And it took years, years, for it to come to pass. And here’s what the Bible says about Abraham, that he did not consider the deadness of his own body, but he was fully persuaded that He who had promised was able. And you look at the McGarry’s, and here, doctors are saying, “You’ll never speak. It’s not going to happen.” And they didn’t consider the deadness of her vocal cords. They didn’t consider the impact of the chemotherapy. It never entered into their minds that this was permanent. What entered into their minds was God. All things are possible. There’s nothing impossible for Him. When man says it’s impossible, that just means there’s more opportunity for God’s glory to shine through. Now, what about you? What about you? Today, are you willing to just trust God? Are you willing to trust His timing? That’s a tough one sometimes where the healing process has started, but it’s going to take a while. For the McGarry’s, it took a year. It took a surgery, too. What about you? What about you? Are you going to continue to believe in spite of things, in spite of the deadness of your own body? Are you still going to believe? Now, we’re going to pray. We’re going to believe with you. The Bible says if two or more agree touching anything, it shall be done. Before we pray, though, we want to encourage you with some more miracles that have happened to people who just decided to believe. And here’s Margie from Destin, Florida. She began having terrible headaches, problems with her memory. Neurologists found she had too mini strokes ten years earlier. And his diagnosis, his prognosis was dementia and then Alzheimer’s. Well, that is a prognosis that means death. Margie was watching The 700 Club. Terry, you had a word of knowledge, “There’s someone, you’ve been suffering from a lot of mental confusion, and you fear that it’s Alzheimer’s or dementia. God is correcting that deficiency in your body, and it’s all going to go away.” Well, Margie instantly felt a jolt go through her body. When she went back to the neurologist, he couldn’t find anything wrong with her brain. Margie says her memory is excellent. And that is an incredible miracle. Wow! Hallelujah! Wow! God is good. Well, here is another one. This is Ebenezer. He’s an Army officer in Fort Drum, New York. He hurt his left knee in training, and it became painful and swollen. Doctors couldn’t find the cause of the problem, so every day for a year he had to deal with the pain and swelling. Then one day, he was watching this program. And Gordon, you gave this word of knowledge. You said, “There’s a man. You’re praying for your left knee. You just spoke to that knee, “work.” You have pain in it. You have swelling in it. God is healing you right now. Stand up and do what you couldn’t do before. Ebenezer said he felt a sensation flowing in and around his left knee. Then he began to jump up and down. The swelling and the pain were completely gone. Praise God. Amen. That can happen to you. That can happen to you, and it can happen right now. All it takes is that we believe, we come to Him and we say, “We believe. We believe you’re God. We believe that when you speak, you’re not lying.” When you’re fully able to do that which you’ve promised to do, and then you’re fully willing to do that which you promised to do, and there’s nothing blocking you from the love of Jesus Christ being poured out over you and in you. Let His love, His forgiveness, His mercy, and just be fully convinced that there is nothing separating you from the love of Christ, nothing. You’re right there with Him. Just reach out and realize He’s reaching out to you. And when you touch Him, you get all the healing power you need. Let’s pray. “Lord God, we just join with those in the audience who are asking for healing, wanting a miracle today. And we just speak over them. We proclaim over them, today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of restoration. Today is the day for their miracle. And we join with them. And in an act of faith, we just with them are laying hands on their bodies right now. And we’re saying out loud, “Be healed and be made whole.” There’s someone, you’ve got a ruptured tendon in the back of your leg, a hamstring. And the burning pain is just overwhelming. And God is healing that for you. He’s literally able to rejoin things, and He’s doing that. And that pain just left you now, instantly. It’s gone, in Jesus’ name. Be healed. There’s someone, you heard the report about the man and his left knee, and you’ve got a problem with your left knee. And you’re doing exactly what you just heard. And you’re saying to that knee, “Be healed. Work now, in Jesus’ name.” And it’s like your whole knee is being restored, and the cushion is being put back in. The meniscus is being restored. And it’s no longer bone on bone. It’s a tremendous miracle. You’re feeling it right now going to your knee, and you’re healed. Do what you couldn’t do before. Begin moving it now. Stand up on it and realize the great miracle that just happened to you. Terry. There’s a woman, you’re nickname is Charlie. And you have been praying and praying about something, and you have just reached such a point of discouragement. God is saying to you today, Charlie, that He has heard your lament. He has seen your tears. He knows your need. He knows your sorrow. And He is moving powerfully on your behalf right now. Just receive that. Receive that affirmation in God’s love. Also, someone else, you have a problem underneath your tongue. You have something with your saliva glands. You’ve been diagnosed with something. It’s not a good diagnosis. God is healing that condition for you. There’s a lady named Amanda. You’re laying your hands on your abdomen, and you’re asking God, “Heal my ovaries and give me a baby.” And God has heard your prayer. He’s responding. And you’re healed now. And He’s going to give you your heart’s desire. He’s going to give you that baby. Just believe in Him now. Believe it. Someone else, you’re praying for money for school right now. You want to go on to your masters, and you don’t have the money to do it. God is going to provide that in a miraculous way for you. Watch with expectancy. There’s someone, you’ve got an unusual condition that causes a wasting away of the cartilage, and it’s in your joints. And God has heard your cry. He’s restoring all of that to you now. And that spirit of infirmity, we just bind it now, in Jesus’ name. You have no power here. You must leave. In Jesus’ name, be gone and be made whole. Lord, we thank you, for you are our healer. When we receive you, we receive all the healing power we need. So, Lord, for those that we didn’t get specific words, we just claim over them your Word, where you forgive all our iniquities and you heal all our diseases, in Jesus’ name. Amen. And amen. If you’ve been touched by God, we want to share in your good report, so give us a call: 1-800-759-0700. And if you want someone to pray specifically for you and ask for healing, call us: 1-800-759-0700. We leave you with these words from Psalms . . . . . . . . “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He sent His Word and healed them.” God bless you. 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. Chen Xiu couldn’t hear or speak. His parents were too poor to afford the speech therapy he needed. His mother prayed that God would help her little boy. That's when you were the answer to her prayers and provided Chen Xiu with the therapy he needed. You took them out of a silent prison and gave him hope for the future. 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