♪♪
>> Let's talk to Him.
Dear God, it is a battle
down here.
We needed those words, "One day
we shall study war no more,
and we will walk in the light."
All the hurting hearts
who are gathered here
with smiles on their faces
'cause we don't tell people
how we're really feeling.
The world just beyond these
walls, desperately in need.
What are we going to do?
Teach us.
Speak to us.
We pray in the Holy Scripture.
We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So I'm going through my library
the other day, and I'm pulling
out books.
I said, "Do I have any books --"
starting a new GROW group
called Against the Strongholds:
Praying East & West.
"Do I have any books?
Do I have any books?"
A seminary professor friend
of mine called me --
got up 3 o'clock in the morning.
Sunday morning -- woke up.
Sunday morning.
Yeah.
He said, "I just felt impressed
to pray."
"What?"
"I'm gonna pray for Japan."
Oh, you heard that report
we shared a few weeks ago
about Japan, the massive needs
in that country.
He says, "Dwight, I'm telling
you what.
We don't need namby-pamby
praying now.
We got to pray against
the strongholds.
Man, this is huge for
the Kingdom."
Well, he's right.
I talked to some other
prayer leaders, they said,
"He's absolutely right."
Some plans are being put
into operation to one day
have a day of fasting and prayer
on this campus.
But, anyway, so I'm looking
at all these books, and I'm
thinking, "What kind of
strategic praying do you do?
What kind of militant praying
is it that we're supposed
to do, radical praying to go
against the strongholds?"
God knows these strongholds
are shooting up faster
than we can put our fingers
in the dike.
So what are supposed to do?
The whole world's a stronghold.
You got Japan, you got the U.S.
Even campuses, even
congregations, even our own
hearts can be strongholds.
How do we keep from being
overcome, overrun?
We got this Wednesday night,
7 o'clock, over in
the Youth Chapel.
Come and join us.
We had 39 sign up this last
week.
I really believe the more
we have praying in this battle
against the strongholds...
the more power is unleashed.
2 Corinthians 10:4.
Come and join us if you have
the time.
Anyway, so I'm pulling out these
books, and I come across a book.
You're not going to believe
this.
How do you have a book in your
library you've never read
written by somebody I've never
heard of?
R.A. Torrey.
Ever heard of him?
R.A. Torrey.
I open it up, I spot a line
just like that, and I say,
"No way.
I'm sharing the line with you,"
and that's what I'm gonna do
right now.
I want you to get a little
context for the line.
Open your Bible with me
to the Book of Romans, please.
Romans Chapter --
Everyone knows
the Book of Romans.
Romans 15.
I'll bet you that if you've ever
read the Book of Romans
through -- I know you've read
this, but I'll bet just like me,
you blew through this verse
as if nothing were there
but a passionate appeal.
Paul said, "Oh, please pray
for me.
Pray for me."
Take a look at this.
What did we miss when we didn't
read slowly?
Romans 15.
Then I'll share that little
R.A. Torrey line.
So this is Romans 15.
You didn't bring a Bible,
grab the pew Bible in front
of you.
You don't want to have a Bible,
but you want to use your device,
fine.
Look it up there.
It's Romans 15:30.
This is the N.I.V. --
put it on the screen for you.
"I urge you" -- Paul writing...
I mean, this is pretty dramatic.
"I'm begging you" -- some of
your translations read --
"I'm begging you.
I'm pleading with you.
Pray for me."
You will never have a full
appreciation of what your
prayers for other people,
the impact they have.
What happens when just little
old you pray?
You pray for this little old
pastor, I'm telling you what --
[ Sighs ]
Do we need each other's prayer?
Paul says, "I'm pleading with
you," and yet tucked right in
this line, he says, "I ask that
you pray as I come to you
in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and" -- Did you catch that?
"I come to you in the love
of the Spirit."
Now, hit the pause button
right there.
Wait a minute.
This is not just about praying.
There's this little phrase
tucked away, but do you know
what that little phrase
dramatically is telling us?
Get this.
The Holy Spirit is a divine
person who loves you personally.
There are all kinds of people
around -- maybe even on this
campus.
There are people who think
the Holy Spirit is this kind
of ethereal cloud from God
that hovers over the Earth,
embracing all people
with God's love.
Wrong.
That's not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit's not an it.
The Holy Spirit is a He.
Had a woman come up to me
after -- a young mother --
met her in the hall as I'm
walking around, just before
walking to this front pew,
and she said, "Dwight, my name
is Carolyn, and I want to tell
you something.
The Holy Spirit is not a He,
He's also a She."
Well, she's right.
We try to use our human pronouns
to capture God.
You can't.
The point is, He/She is not
an it.
That's the point -- not an it.
Too many people, "Well,
the Holy Spirit means the Spirit
from God, this mind of God,
the heart of God."
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong,
wrong.
And, by the way, what did we
just read about the Holy Spirit?
The love of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit loves you
personally.
Dwight, who cares?
Ethereal spirit or personal
being -- what's the difference?
You want to know what
the difference is?
Here comes the R.A. Torrey line.
I want you to look this up
right now.
It's in your Study Guide.
Pull it out.
Let's go to that R.A. Torrey
line.
Does this tell it like it is?
Absolutely.
Study Guide's in your
Worship Bulletin.
You didn't get
a Worship Bulletin
when you came in?
Come on.
We got some friendly ushers
who are just itching to come
your way.
Ushers, thank you, please,
for standing up right now
and distributing these
Study Guides.
Hold your hand up.
You see, they have to sit in
other places in the church
because we're going to receive
our Connect Cards in a moment,
but don't worry.
Give them a little time.
And those of you watching
right now, let me put a website
on the screen for you so that
you can get this website.
You can get the Study Guide.
You see it on your screen?
There it is now --
www.newperceptions.tv.
Go to that website.
Some of you who are live
streaming are already there,
but you're watching on
a television somewhere,
you're listening on a radio,
go to that website --
newperceptions.tv.
You're looking for this
teaching, "King of Hearts:
Can You Feel the Love?"
When you find that teaching,
click on to it.
You'll have the Study Guide.
You're going to want this
R.A. Torrey quote.
All right.
So up in the balcony,
they're getting to you there.
Okay, let's go.
I'm not going to wait.
By the way, jot down
Romans 15:30 while we're here.
Would you please jot it down?
"I urge you, brothers and
sisters" -- It's in your
Study Guide --
"by our Lord Jesus Christ
and by the love of
the Spirit --"
Wow, that's unusual.
Look at that.
"By the love of the Spirit,
to join me in my struggle
by praying to God for me."
Now, here it comes --
R.A. Torrey.
I promised it to you.
It's on the screen.
You'll need to fill it in.
"It is of the highest
importance," Torrey writes,
"from a practical standpoint
that we know the Holy Spirit
as a" -- Capital "P" --
"Person."
Don't worry about the pronoun
gender.
He's a Capital "P" -- Person.
"To think of the Spirit
as merely an influence or
power," an it, "then your
thought will constantly be,"
Yo, "How can I get hold of
the Holy Spirit and use it?
How can I get more of
the Holy Spirit?'"
Oh, write that in.
Now, watch how he flips
the coin.
Brilliant.
"But if you think of
the Holy Spirit in the biblical
way, as a Person of divine
majesty and glory, your thought
will be, 'How can
the Holy Spirit get hold of me
and use me?
How can the Holy Spirit
get more of me?'"
Did you write that down?
That just changes radically
the way you pray.
"Oh, God, give me more of
the Holy Spirit.
Give me more of
the Holy Spirit."
What if you and I are praying,
"Oh, God, give more of me
to the Holy Spirit?
Give more of me
to the Holy Spirit?"
I mean, can you believe this?
Jot it down.
"The majestic, glorious Being
and Person we think of
as the Third Person of
the Godhead loves" --
He personally "loves you
and me."
Bible calls Him the Comforter.
Bible calls Him the Friend.
Bible calls Him the Advocate.
Bible calls Him the Spirit
of Yahweh.
He's a personal being.
He wants to be a friend with you
forever and ever.
[ Scoffs ]
You can't deal with Him
as an it.
We don't realize that, in fact,
right here in Romans 15:30,
Paul is in the midst of laying
out what I believe is the most
stunning portrayal of Trinity
love anywhere in Scripture.
I'm going to prove it to you
right now.
Come on.
We'll just walk through those
pages in one split second.
Everybody knows Romans 5:5.
We do here because we began
this series two weeks ago
with Romans 5:5, and that's
where he starts talking about
the love of God.
So just look at Romans 5:5.
Remember this verse?
How's this go?
"And hope does not put us
to shame, because God's love
has been poured out
into our hearts" --
through whom? --
"through the Holy Spirit,
who has been given to us."
Would you jot that down, please?
Romans 5:5 --
"the love of God,
the love of God."
Good news, Paul says.
We are all loved to the max
by the God of the Universe.
But now Paul will carefully
begin to differentiate
the love of God.
Watch this.
Drop down to Verse 8.
Verse 8.
You know Verse 8, perhaps...
He's obviously talking about
the Father, because it's not
Christ.
So the Father.
Would you jot that down, please?
Romans 5:8.
He's just described the love
of God the Father.
Now, turn a couple pages over
to Romans 8.
Drop down to Verse 35.
Same Paul still writing.
"Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ?"
Wow.
"Shall trouble or hardship
or persecution or famine
or nakedness or danger
or sword" or flood?
Nothing can separate us
from the love of Christ.
There it is.
Clearly, "the love of God
the Son."
So we have "the love of God
the Father," now we have
"the love of God the Son."
Fill that in, please.
And then drop down same chapter.
Scholars call this
the rarified air of the summit
of the entire Bible.
The summit is right here.
This is the top.
This is the Mount Everest
right here -- Verse 38...
Verse 39.
..."neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all
creation, will be able
to separate us" --
you and me -- "from the love
of God that is in Christ Jesus
our Lord."
Jot it down.
So now we have -- Paul says
I'm gonna pull both those loves
together.
Mm-hmm.
So we have the love of
the Father and you have
the love of God the Son.
"God the Father, God the Son."
Paul, there's somebody else
left.
Ah, he's moving toward that
somebody else, and that's
the text that we began with
a moment ago -- Chapter 15.
Read it again -- Verse 30.
"I urge you, brothers and
sisters" -- "I'm begging you"
some translations.
"I'm begging you,
I'm pleading with you,
by our Lord Jesus and by
the love of the Spirit,
to join me in my struggle
by praying to God for me."
Would you jot that down, please?
There's the final piece,
the capstone, "the love of God
the Holy Spirit."
We have the love of God
the Father, we have the love
of God the Son, and now we have
the love of God the Holy Spirit.
There they are, the three
members of the triune God --
three persons, one God.
Can I get a little personal
with you right now?
I'm gonna tell you something
I do every now and then --
every now and a blue moon
when I'm having my own prayer
beginning of the day.
Sometimes I like to imagine...
that I'm going to, right now,
step into the Throne Room
of the Universe.
Some day I'm planning on it.
Some day I'm planning
that you do the same.
I'm just counting on it.
But I like to imagine what that
moment would be like.
So I come to this massive door,
and it says "Throne Room."
Oh, wow.
So I reach up -- little guy
that I am -- I reach up so
they can hear the knock,
and I -- [ Imitating knocking ]
I knock.
The door slowly opens,
and there is this tall being
lit!
And he looks down at me,
and he says, "Hey, Dwight.
We've been waiting for you.
Come on in."
It's Gabriel.
Gabriel.
He says, "Come on. Follow me.
I know why you're here,"
he says.
And I'm walking in just like --
just with this awe,
this you can't believe it,
the glory, and then I see this
white throne high and lifted up,
and there's this brilliant
light, and now the light is not
a problem, but it's still
brilliant, and there's somebody
sitting there, and I don't know
about you, but you know what
I would do next?
I'm just thinking that probably
I'd burst into tears.
I'm just kind of a crybaby
when I'm with God, and I would
just start crying, and I'd be
down on the golden floor
with my nose pushed against
that gold and just sobbing
for joy.
I can't believe it.
I've dreamed of this day.
Do you know how long
I've dreamed of this?
And then the being in the high,
lifted-up white throne
speaks to me as if He were
reading my heart.
He said, "Dwight, you dreamed
of it.
Let me tell you something.
We've been dreaming of it
ever since you were born.
Welcome."
But I'm down there just sobbing
away, and another person sitting
right beside that -- obviously
God the Father.
This other person comes down
to me, and I feel a warm hand
on my shoulder, and He taps it,
and I look up, and I recognize
His face.
It's Jesus.
And He just takes me,
just pulls me up, and He puts me
in this strong embrace,
and I'm trying to breathe,
and He said, "Oh, Dwight --
my friend Dwight.
Wow.
You're here."
This is what I've lived for.
And then -- Here's the point.
And then I hear a voice.
I look up to see where the voice
is coming from, and it's
somewhere over here
near the throne, but --
And the voice is smiling.
Have you noticed what when you
call people up on the phone,
sometimes you can tell they're
smiling even though you can't
see their faces?
There's something in a voice
that's smiling, and the voice
is smiling, and the voice says,
"Dwight, Dwight, Dwight.
It's so nice to see you.
Do you know what?
Ever since you were born,
this is why I have hung with you
day and night the entire
journey, just you and Me.
Welcome home, boy.
This is your home now."
Now, why do I tell you that --
this little bit of imagination
which you really can't do?
I tell you that to remind you
that there's not just two
persons in the Throne Room
of the Universe.
There's a third person,
and there's no law in humanity
that says in order for you to be
a real sentient being,
you have to have physical form
to be a being.
That's just our very puny
human thinking that says
you got to have something
to move -- moving lips
and all that.
You don't have to have that.
He said, "I'm a being,
and I have love for you.
As if there were nobody else
in this universe, I love you,
and I want to be your friend."
That's why I'm telling you.
The Third Person of the Godhead
is just as real as number one
and number two -- same love,
eternal -- same friendship,
forever.
Why are you telling me all this,
Dwight?
I tell you why I'm telling this
to you.
Because I want you --
I want your heart to long,
begin to long for a friendship
with the Holy Spirit.
You and I have been --
We've been having a long,
continuing conversation going on
around here, haven't we?
I want you to become acquainted
and friends with
the Holy Spirit.
I'll tell you another little
secret about my praying.
I pray out loud.
[ Chuckles ]
I pray out loud unless
there's something I don't want
the Devil to hear, but,
generally, I just pray out loud.
There's nobody else in the room.
You know when I talk to Him,
here's what I do.
I imagine that He's right about
there in my prayer closet.
I have a certain place
where I imagine He is.
I see nothing.
I know nothing.
But I sense and I talk to Him.
Now, get this.
He talks back to me.
No, I'm serious.
He talks back to me.
It's not an audible voice.
Karen couldn't be walking
right by say, "Hey, there's
two people in there.
It's only Dwight.
Who's this other person?"
There's nothing anybody can
hear, but you know what?
You hear Him, and you know
the very sound of His voice
right now.
You know when He is talking
to you.
You recognize that voice.
And one day when you have
your private audience
with the eternal -- because
there'll be enough time
in heaven for everybody to have
a very special, alone time
with God, and all three of them,
the Trinity, they're there.
The moment the voice speaks,
[Scoffs] "That was you?"
"That was Me."
That's why I wish that your
heart would just long for this
baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We're not just doing this
because there's nothing else
to talk about.
Because this is the piece
that's missing.
We've got to know Him not as
an it, but as a real, live
personal friend...
every morning.
Every morning?
Yeah, why not?
Ask Him every morning.
Is there some sin with that?
Hardly.
In fact, R.A. Torrey beautifully
expresses the companionship
of the Holy Spirit.
This is so choice.
The whole Study Guide is worth
just this right here.
It's one very long sentence.
I'm going to put it on
the screen for you.
We have to keep changing slides
to get through this sentence,
but you have it in your
Study Guide.
"But" -- Torrey writing --
"But had it not been for
the love of the Holy Spirit
to me" --
Okay, so he says, "Look.
I know I got the love of
the Father, I know I have
the love of the Son, but had it
not been for the love of
the Holy Spirit to me,
leading Him to come down
to this world in obedience
to the Father and the Son,
to seek me out in my lost
condition, following me day
after day, and week after week,
and month after month,
following me when I would not
listen to Him,
when I deliberately turned
my back upon Him,
when I insulted Him,
following me into places
where it must have been agony
for that Holy One to go --"
Dwight, you're going here?
You're going here?
Okay.
I'm with you.
..."following me into places
where it must have been agony
for that Holy One to go,
until at last He succeeded
in bringing me to my senses
and bringing me to realize
my utterly lost condition,
and revealing the Lord Jesus
to me as just the Savior
whom I needed, and He induced me
and He enabled me to receive
the Lord Jesus as my Savior
and Lord;
if it had not been for this
patient, long-suffering,
never-wearying love
of the Spirit of God to me,
I would be a lost man today."
That's the truth.
You and I would not be having
this conversation because
neither one of us would be here
had it not been for
the Third Person of the Godhead
who has stayed with you every
single day and every single
minute and every single second
of your life.
He has never, ever left you.
And you're here because of it.
And we act as if He doesn't
exist.
What's up with that?
Wow.
Torrey's right.
Absolutely right.
To the Holy Spirit, we owe
everything just as we do
to the Father and just as we do
to the Son.
I'm telling you the truth,
ladies and gentlemen,
brothers and sisters.
The King of Hearts is
the King of Love forever
and ever.
Amen.
He's the King of Hearts.
He's the King of Love.
All three.
It's no wonder that in
the middle of this stunning
portrayal of Trinity love,
Paul just slips it in --
Very clever, Paul.
He just slips it in.
He said, "I want to talk
about your loving now."
Watch this.
Go to Chapter 13.
He just slips this in,
but we catch it.
We see it.
Romans 13.
Just turn back a page from 15,
and what's this?
Verse 8.
Paul writes...
Whoa.
What law you talking about,
Paul?
Why, Verse 9...
..."and whatever other
commandment there may be,
they're all summed up in this
one command: 'Love your'" --
whom?
Love your whom?
Call it out to me.
Love your whom?
>> Your neighbor.
>> "Love your neighbor.
Love your neighbor as yourself."
And finally, Verse 10...
"Love does no harm
to a neighbor."
No.
"Therefore love is
the fulfillment of the law."
I'm going to tell you about
a book that's taking
the scholarly world by storm.
It's a new translation
of the New Testament.
It's written by David Hartley --
David Hart --
No, David Bentley Hart.
Got it.
"A New Testament."
Critically acclaimed.
I wanted to get it
for Christmas.
Sold out, sold out.
It just came out in November.
Sold out, sold out, sold out.
And the reviews very critically
acclaimed.
I want you to see how
David Bentley Hart renders
this line -- Romans 13:10.
In fact, jot it down in your
Study Guide so you'll always
have his rendition.
I like this.
Romans 13:10 from
"The New Testament" translated
by David Bentley Hart.
Here it goes.
"Love does not work evil
against the neighbor --"
Now, here it comes -- "hence
love is the full totality
of the Law."
Now, that's a new way and that's
a fresh way to put it --
"the full totality of the Law."
That's what love is.
Oh, by the way, love is the full
totality of the Trinity.
That's who They are.
That's why the Law is just
like Them, because it's Their
Law.
"Love is the full totality
of the Law," the full totality
of the Trinity.
So here's the question.
What if we --
I'm talking about you and me
now.
What if we asked the Holy Spirit
to pour out Trinity Love
into our hearts every day
before we go out into the world?
Every day, just fill me with
the love of the Father.
Fill me with the love
of the Spirit --
love of the Son, rather.
Fill me with Your love,
Holy Spirit.
What if we asked the Holy Spirit
specifically,
fill me with the full totality
of Your love, Your grace.
Fill me --
before going out every day?
Well, I'd be willing to do that,
Dwight.
Well, I'm telling you,
that's all the baptism
of the Holy Spirit is.
That's what it is.
Just fill me up.
Empty me through the day
so that I have to come back
tomorrow morning, fill me up
again.
Fill me with the full totality
of Your love, Holy Spirit.
Wow.
What if, as a church, we became
known as a people who love
deeply, who love boldly,
who love radically around here?
We, who are so vigorously
defending
the Fourth Commandment,
what if we decided to defend
all Ten of the Commandments,
and the full totality of
the Law gets lived out
in the way we treat our
neighbors?
What if that were the case?
Fill me with the full totality
of the Law.
Fill me with Your love, Trinity.
I mean, what if people got to
know you and go to know me
because we're out there mingling
with them, and they start
to say, "I tell you what.
These people there on that
campus, man, they'll love your
socks off"?
Wouldn't it be a great --
Wouldn't that be a great line?
"Come to me, and I'll love
your socks off.
No, I'll come to you
and love your socks off.
I'll come to where your...
once was...
and I'll help scoop up
what has to be thrown away."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah.
No, no kidding.
No kidding.
Let me help you."
"Oh, I just want to go to
church.
I just love sitting in these
very soft pews.
That's all I need."
No, no, no, no.
The full totality of the Law
is the love of the Trinity.
What if -- What if we were just
plain a-loving people every day?
No crisis necessary.
We're just plain a-loving people
all over this county?
Loving people in a genuine
"I care for you" sort of way?
Would it make a difference?
"Would it make a difference?"
Are you asking me that?
Ellen White 100 years ago --
put the words on the screen.
You'll have to fill it in.
Amazing sentence.
"If we would humble ourselves
before God, and be kind
and courteous and tenderhearted
and pitiful" -- In other words,
full of pity -- "there would be
100 conversions to the truth
where now there is only one."
Go figure.
A hundred to one.
Some kind of hyperbole?
Are you kidding?
You know why I know it's not
hyperbole?
Because when people can feel
the love...
then they seek the truth.
If they can't feel the love --
I'm telling you what.
If you show up and say,
"I'm loving you right now, sir.
Come on. Come here.
Let me love you.
I'm just loving you real hard,"
but they can't feel it --
reminds me of Mark Twain.
Mark Twain used to write
about people who are good
in the worst sense of the word.
Oh, they're so right.
They're always so right.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.
I just don't want to live
next door to them.
Good in the worst sense
of the word.
No, you got to feel the love,
because if I can't feel
the love, I'm not going to
believe whatever it is
you believe, because it
obviously has not changed
the way you live.
Can you feel the love?
Do they feel the love
when I come around?
It's like the little English
girl prayed, "Oh, God, make
the bad people good, and make
the good people nice."
Can they feel the love?
Can they feel the love?
A lot of people around here
are praying for God to send down
the Holy Spirit and give us
a big, old revival that can make
the cover of Adventist Review,
and then, boom, we'll go
to heaven.
Wrong.
There will be no revival...
unless there's love.
And there is no love
unless they can feel the love
when you're around, because
if they can't feel the love
when you're around, it ain't
love.
Excuse me.
I got an e-mail from a viewer
who said, "Quit using that kind
of language.
It's bad grammar."
Okay.
It is not love.
If they can't feel it,
trust me, you may think
it's love, they're saying,
"It's not love."
That's not love.
That's duty.
Can they feel the love
when I walk into a room?
Can they feel the love
when you stop to gas up
your car?
Can they feel the love...
at Walmart?
If they can't feel the love,
why would they want to know
the truth?
You can have your truth.
It doesn't mean a hill of beans
the way you live.
I want to end with a story,
because this story tells it all.
I'm hoping -- I'm putting
everything in the sermon
on this story.
You know, preachers ought to be
very careful about doing that,
but I'm putting everything
in the sermon now on this story
I'm going to read in your
presence, and I'm praying
you're going to get it.
I'm praying that while you're
hearing the story -- and you're
going to love the story --
that your mind is just going
like this -- the Holy Spirit
is in your mind saying,
"Hey, by the way, that's not
just a story, that's why I'm
talking to you, boy, I'm talking
to you, girl.
I need you to live this way.
I need you to live this way,
okay?"
I'm going to read a story.
It's from Bob Goff's wonderful
book -- Do I see my friends
there?
Bob Goff's wonderful book
"Love Does."
Karen and I have laughed
and cried our way as we read
the book out loud to each other.
It's a wonderful book --
Bob Goff.
Friends Dave and Kim Sherman
gave us a copy.
[ Scoffs ]
Oh, you got to get a copy.
Anyway, okay, here's the story.
Here's the story.
So this is a first-person
account.
He's a lawyer, by the way.
Don't let that prejudice you.
"When I was in high school,
I met a guy named Randy."
I love this.
"And Randy had three things
I didn't have --
a Triumph motorcycle, a beard,
and a girlfriend.
It just didn't seem fair.
I mean, I wanted all three
in ascending order.
[ Chuckling ] I asked around
and found out Randy didn't even
go to that high school.
He just hung around there.
I had heard about guys like that
and figured I should keep
my distance, so I did.
Later I heard that Randy
was a Christian and worked
at an outfit called Young Life.
I didn't know much about any
of that stuff, but it helped
explain the beard and made it
okay that he was hanging out
at the high school, I guess.
Randy never offered me a ride
on his motorcycle, but he tried
to engage me in discussions
of Jesus.
I kept him at arm's length,
but that didn't seem to chill
his interest in finding out
who I was and what I was about.
I figured out maybe he didn't
know anyone his own age,
so we eventually became friends.
I was a lousy student and found
out that I could take a test
to get a certificate that was
the equivalent to
a high school diploma.
I couldn't figure out how to
sign up for the test, though,
which on reflection was a pretty
good indicator that I should
stay in high school.
My plan was to move to Yosemite
and spend my days climbing
the massive granite cliffs.
At 6'4" and 220 pounds
as a high schooler,
I really didn't have
a rock climber's build.
I wonder what made me think
that there was a rock climber
in me?
You know, when you're in
high school, you don't give much
thought to what you can't do.
For most people, that gets
learned later, and for still
fewer, it gets unlearned
for the rest of life.
At the beginning of my
junior year, I decided it was
time to leave high school
and make the move.
I'm going to go to Yosemite.
I had a down vest,
two red bandanas, a pair
of rock-climbing shoes, $75,
and a VW Bug."
I had one of those in college
myself.
"But what else did I need?
I'd find work in the valley.
I'd spend my time off
in the mountains.
More out of courtesy
than anything" --
Now, listen up --
"I swung by Randy's house
first thing on a Sunday morning
to say goodbye to let him know
I was leaving.
I knocked on the door,
and after a long couple
of minutes, Randy answered.
He was groggy and bed-headed."
You ever seen yourself
when you get out of bed --
what your head looks like?
He was looking like that.
"I had obviously woken him.
I gave him the rundown
on what I was doing.
All the while, Randy stood
patiently in the doorway,
trying his best to suppress
a puzzled expression.
'You -- You're leaving soon?,'
he asked when I had finished.
'Yeah, right now, actually,'
I said as I straightened my back
and barreled my chest to show
I meant business.
'Look, Randy.
It's time for me to get out
of here.
I just came by to thank you
for hanging out with me
and being a great friend.'
Randy kept his earnest and
concerned face, but he didn't
say a word.
'Oh, hey,' I inserted.
'Will you tell your girlfriend
goodbye for me, too -- you know,
when you see her next?'
Again, no words from Randy.
He had this weird, faraway look
on his face like he was looking
right through me.
He snapped back into our
conversation -- 'Hey, Bob.
Would you wait here for a second
while I check something out?'
'No sweat, Randy.'
I had nothing but time now.
What did I care?
Randy disappeared for a few
minutes into the house
while I stood awkwardly
on his porch with my hands
shoved in my pockets.
When he came back to the door,
he had a tattered backpack
hanging over his shoulder
by one frayed strap
and a sleeping bag under his
other arm.
He was focused and direct,
and all he said was this,
'Bob, I'm with you.'"
Hmm.
"Something in his words
rang right through me.
He didn't lecture me about how
I was blowing it and throwing
opportunities away by leaving
high school.
He didn't tell me I was a fool
and that my idea would fall off
the tracks on the way to
the launch pad.
He didn't tell me that I would
surely crater even if I did
briefly lift off.
He was resolute, unequivocal,
and had no agenda.
He was with me.
Despite the kind gesture,
it was pretty odd to think
he wanted to come along.
'Uh, um, s-sure.
I guess,' I said,
half-heartedly.
'You sure?'
'Yeah, Bob. I'm in.
If you wouldn't mind,
what if I caught a ride
with you?'
Randy stood with a determined
look.
'So, let me get this straight.
You want to drive to Yosemite
with me right now?'
'Yep, that's right.
I can find my way back
after we've got there
and you have got settled in.'
I'm not sure why I accepted
Randy's genuine self-invitation.
I guess it's because it
caught me totally off guard.
No one had ever expressed
an interest in me like that
before.
'Sure,' I stammered as we both
stood awkwardly on his stoop.
'I guess we should get going
then.'
And with that, Randy closed
the door to his little house,
and we walked side by side
to my VW Bug.
He plopped into the passenger
seat and threw his stuff
on the top of mine
on the back seat.
We got up to Yosemite before
nightfall, and it occurred to me
for the first time we had
no place to stay.
We had a couple of sleeping
bags, no tent, and very little
money, so we bedded down
in an empty campground.
The next morning, we woke up
to a chilly, but glorious
morning in Yosemite Valley.
To the north of us,
El Capitan soared 3,000 feet
straight up like a granite
soldier.
Half Dome dominated
the landscape to the east.
These were my companions now.
This was my cathedral.
I was in the valley living room
of my new home.
Now it was time to get a job
and settle in.
I rolled over in my sleeping
bag, thinking about how great
it was to have Randy with me.
I was a little nervous,
but also excited about
my newfound freedom.
I was a man now.
I felt my chin for any signs
of whiskers.
Nothing yet, but I shaved anyway
just in case.
Randy and I dusted off
the stiffness that comes
from tent camping, and we went
to Camp Curry Company Cafeteria.
I thought I could get a job
flipping pancakes in
the morning, which would then
leave the rest of the day
to climb.
I finished the job application
in front of the manager,
handed it to him.
He gave it right back,
sternly shaking his head 'no.'
He didn't even pretend to be
interested, but I was secretly
thankful he at least humored me
enough to let me apply.
No matter.
Undaunted, I went to one of
the rock-climbing outfitters
with a storefront in the valley.
I told them I'd do whatever
they needed.
I was sure that what I lacked
in experience, I could make up
for by what I lacked in maturity
or raw intelligence.
They said they didn't have any
work for me, either -- that
the jobs were tight and almost
impossible to get in the valley.
I walked out of the store
discouraged, and I looked at
Randy, who was leaning against
the VW.
Rather than feeding my
discouragement or saying,
'I told you so,' Randy fed
my soul with words of truth
and perspective.
'Bob, you can do this thing
if you want.
You have the stuff it takes
to pull it off.
These guys don't know what
they're missing.
Let's try a few more places.'
And then just like he had said
the day before on his porch,
Randy reiterated his statement.
'Either way, Bob, I'm with you.'
His words gave me tremendous
comfort.
I applied at nearly every
business in the valley
and struck out every time.
There certainly were no jobs
available and no hope
of one opening up soon.
Randy and I headed back
to the campsite.
We sat on the front bumper
of my VW Bug and leaned back
against its flimsy
and slightly rusted hood
that buckled slightly
under our weight.
The sun was getting low
in the valley again,
and the granite cliffs
I had hopped to count
as neighbors were casting long,
dark shadows on the ground,
each of the evening shadows
pointing toward the road
exiting the valley.
I had only a few bucks left
after buying gas, and Randy
offered to spring for dinner,
and as we walked back out
to the car after eating,
I turned to Randy, and I said,
'You know, Randy, you've been
great coming with me
and everything, but it looks
like I'm striking out.
I think what I'll do is head
back and finish up high school.'
After a short pause, Randy
said again what had become
a comfort to me throughout
the trip -- 'Man, whatever you
decide, just know that either
way, I'm with you, Bob.'
Randy had been with me,
and I could tell that he was
with me in spirit as much
as with me in his presence.
He was committed to me.
He believed in me.
I wasn't a project.
I was his friend.
I wondered if maybe all
Christians operated this way.
I didn't think so, because
most of them I had met until
that time were kind of wimpy
and seemed to have more opinions
about what or who they were
against than who they were for.
Without much more discussion,
Randy and I exchanged
a silent look and a nod,
which meant we were done.
Without a word, I hopped in
the driver's seat of the car,
Randy hopped in the passenger's
seat, and we followed the path
cast by the long shadows
the day before.
I was going back.
We did not --"
Now, listen to this.
Here it comes.
"We did not talk much as we left
Yosemite Valley, or for much
of the way home for that matter.
A dream of mine had just checked
into hospice.
Randy was sensitive enough
to know I needed some margin
to think.
We drove for five or six
quiet hours.
Every once in a while,
Randy would check in on me
in his confident,
upbeat voice --
'Hey, how you doing, Bob?'
We pulled down some familiar
streets and into Randy's
driveway.
There was another car
in the drive next to Randy's
that looked like his
girlfriend's.
She visited often.
We walked up to the front door,
and he opened it, and I walked
in behind Randy uninvited,
but somehow I still felt
welcome.
On the floor, I noticed a stack
of plates and some wrapping
paper, a coffee maker,
some glasses.
On the couch, there was
a microwave half in a box.
I didn't understand at first.
I mean, had Randy just had
a birthday, or was it his
girlfriend's?
I mean, a microwave seemed
like a weird way to celebrate
someone's arrival into
the world.
I knew Randy wasn't moving
because there wouldn't be
wrapping paper.
Then from around the corner,
the other half of this couple
bounded out and threw her arms
around Randy.
'Welcome home, honey!'
Then the nickel dropped.
I felt both sick and choked up
in an instant.
I realized that these are
wedding presents on the floor.
Randy and his girlfriend
had just gotten married
when I knocked on Randy's door
that Sunday morning.
But Randy didn't see just
a high school kid who had
disrupted the beginning
of his marriage.
He saw a kid who was about
to jump the tracks.
Instead of spending the early
days of his marriage
with his bride, he spent it
with me, sneaking into
the back of a tent.
Why?
It was because Randy loved me.
That's why.
He saw the need, and he did
something about it.
He didn't just say he was
for me or with me,
he was actually present
with me.
What I learned from Randy
changed my view permanently
about what it meant to have
a friendship with Jesus.
I learned that faith isn't
about knowing all the right
stuff or all about obeying
a list of rules.
It's something more --
something more costly
because it involves being
present and making a sacrifice.
Perhaps that's why Jesus
is sometimes called Emmanuel,
God with us.
I think that's what God had
in mind -- for Jesus to be
present, to be just with us.
It's also what He had in mind
for us when it comes to other
people."
Now, his last sentence
I need you to get.
It's in your Study Guide,
and it will be on the screen,
and I'm going to read it to you.
This is his last...
"It's a love that operates
more like a sign language
than being spoken outright."
Oh, I like that.
"It operates like a sign
language.
What I learned from Randy
about the brand of love
Jesus offers is that it's more
about presence" --
Write that in, will you?
"It's more about presence
than undertaking a project"...
"What I learned from Randy
reinforced the simple truth
that continues to weave itself
into the tapestry of every
great story" -- Write it down --
"Love does."
Isn't that good?
It's precisely what Calvary did
when God poured out His Trinity
love on a race of runaway rebels
like you and me.
Love does.
It's what we do.
When every morning we ask
the Holy Spirit, fill me with
Trinity love today, and then
we go out and do.
We don't just go out,
we go out and do
because love does.
Love does.
The question is,
can you feel the love?
No, no, no, no, no.
That's not the right question.
Can they feel the love?
Can they?
Can you?
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
for you."
Didn't it give you a sense
of peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
I know how I feel when I get
an e-mail from one of our
viewers saying, "Yo, Dwight.
I've been praying for you
lately."
There's nothing like knowing
someone is praying for you.
So I want to offer you
an opportunity to partner --
let me, let us partner
with you in prayer.
If you have a special prayer
request or a praise of
thanksgiving you'd like to share
with us, I'm inviting you
to contact one of our friendly
chaplains.
It's simple to do.
You can call our toll-free
number -- 877 -- the two words,
HIS WILL.
877-HIS-WILL.
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him,
you tell her what your prayer
need is, we'll join with you
in that petition.
May the God who answers prayer
journey with you these next
few days until we're right back
here together again next time.
♪♪
♪♪
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