With decades of serving the Lord in ministry, Dr. Stanley is full of stories and advice for the generations coming after him. In this interview, Andy Stanley invites his father to share the most important lessons he’s learned over the years as well as what keeps him motivated to continue preaching the gospel. No matter where God has called you to serve Him, you’ll find encouragement to seek His will and inspiration to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch
[Music]
hi I’m Andy Stanley and today we are
celebrating someone near and dear to all
of our hearts you know him as dr.
Charles Stanley I Colin dad
[Music]
four decades ago we started in touch
ministries to lead people worldwide into
a growing relationship with Jesus Christ
throughout the years we’ve seen God’s
greatness his love and his blessings in
such awesome ways that we just want
everyone to know him so let’s open God’s
Word and seek Him together next on
InTouch the influence of a godly life an
85th birthday celebration so first
things first happy birthday this weekend
you turn 85 so here’s that here’s the
question everybody asked people on a
birthday so how does it feel so how does
it feel to be 85 years old now that
there’s a difference when I was 80 75 70
I feel fantasy all know well one of the
things that all of you need to know is
that 85 my dad is still a senior pastor
at First Baptist Church of Atlanta and
have a funny story to tell about that in
a minute and is you’re also serving
functioning every weekend as the
president of in touch ministries and
whereas most people have retired from a
single career years ago you are still
maintaining two very very important
positions but the question that
everybody wants to know is how long are
you gonna do this and I say it that way
because that’s how people ask me they
they watch you on television they’re
like you know he’s just been doing this
and and nobody’s in a rush for you to
stop doing anything but that’s kind of
the question is like how long is he
gonna do this so dad how long are you
gonna keep going well I’m gonna keep
doing it until God tells me to do
something else and right now I have no
reason to think that I wouldn’t keep
going and somebody physical how long as
long as God gives me the strength the
energy and the message yeah
and you have some pretty strong opinions
about retirement anyway have you you
want to share those well retirements not
in the Bible except for the priest and
after he served from 25 to 50 then he
had to retire at 50 and what a
retirement just 25 years of working and
then
he could assist the other priests in
knowing what they were doing there’s
nothing in the Bible about us retiring
and I think God intends for us to live
as long as possible and to be fruitful
as long as we possibly can and to be
energetic and God wants our life to
count to the last day and that’s my
prayer and the thing is even if you were
to retire you wouldn’t become inactive
you you would still be doing something
productive because you’ve always been
productive and so the fact that you’ve
been able to not only continue to be
productive but continue to work and to
continue to function in these incredible
organizations that in one case you
helped found really is inspiring to a
whole lot of people who in their minds
65 just kind of sort of like an end and
to be 85 and to still be doing what
you’re doing really is inspiring to a
lot folks but not too long ago my dad
called me and he said he said he said
Andy you know I would like to find a
pastor who’s a little remember this he
said Andy I would like to find a pastor
who’s a little bit further ahead of me
and ask them some questions remember
that and I said that I hate to break it
to you
there aren’t any there are there there
are no pastors that are ahead of you
that are still you know you know the
lead pastor in a local church and you he
sort of said yeah I thought that might
be the case but then you said I’ve been
I said but if you were to find one what
would you ask them do you remember what
you said not really
yeah well I’ll never forget it because
as a pastor it was very discouraging to
me you said I would ask that person does
it ever get any easier that’s right does
it ever get easier I’m thinking okay
you’re about to be 85 and it’s still
hard work and you were talking
specifically about sermon preparation
and you just wondered is it ever going
to get easier and the thing that
reminded me of that I think most folks
don’t know about you is that as many
sermons as you’ve preached as many
probably you know thousands of sermons
that you’ve preached every time you’re
getting close to Sunday you sit down and
basically start from scratch and that
never gets easier does it
never gets easier in fact you usually
start went on when do you start
preparing Sunday afternoon before next
Sunday yeah I come home on Sunday
afternoon and after I take a little now
I get in a study and I just start asking
God to show me what’s next that maybe I
already know and but I want to study
that particular passage of Scripture and
I’m just as excited on Sunday afternoon
as I was on Sunday morning because I’m
always learning something and God’s
doing something in my life so you know
I’m profiting from it all the time and I
wouldn’t want it any other way and when
I think about whether it’s easier or not
the hard part isn’t the preaching of it
probably the hardest part is to asking
God to show me what’s next what there
was the question you have to always ask
is what is the need that would you can
get up and spin out something but the
question is what’s the need what do
people need to hear what is God trying
to say and I think this is the part
that’s important this makes you keep
your heart clean pure committed to the
Lord so you can be sure that you’re
listening to him that you’re hearing for
yourself first of all and then for
somebody else and you you’ve never taken
your foot off the gas when it comes to
ministry and if you were to see his
study at home you would think you were
walking into the office of a 45 or 55
year old CEO
I mean his calendar his post-it notes
your Bibles your files I mean it’s it is
it is a it’s a war room for somebody who
is actively day-by-day still in the game
is still preparing fresh things and
still responsible for two very large
organizations one of the stories I grew
up with was when you were in seminary
and you had grown up around a specific
type of preaching but you didn’t
necessarily want to emulate that type of
preaching and then while you were in
seminary you drove from Fort Worth over
to Dallas and went to First Baptist
Church Dallas and everything got clearer
for you on that Sunday morning do you
mind sharing that story yeah
dr. Chris will preach on a wire tape
that’s before we have these plastic
tapes and I thought I would hear this
man preach so my wife and I were just
friends at that point she had a car and
I didn’t ask if she’d take me a Dallas
and listen listen to this man preach so
we did it made such an indelible
impression on my mind heart because I’ve
came from Virginia where a lot of people
were liberal and the preaching was
rather dry frankly and so when dr.
Criswell opened the Bible he opened it
to romans chapter 5 verse 1 – he said
the title of his message is this grace
wherein we stand and then he started I
can hardly tell you this about Wiebe
they kind of effect it had on me I
thought his mouth and my response was
God I knew there was a man somewhere who
could preach like this because he
inspired me motivated me and I would say
even to this day of all the pastor’s
I’ve heard never a lot of them that that
be crystal was probably not probably he
was one of the greatest and he inspired
me more than anybody in all of my life
when it came to preaching he was true to
God’s Word he had power he was
enthusiastic he was excited about it and
I knew that he believed every word he
was preaching and so when I think about
that people who have affected my life my
grandfather spiritually but they made
crystal when he came to preaching I’ll
never forget that first message and the
awesome indelible impact it had on my
life
and he would never have imagined that’s
sitting out there and that big
congregation it was big back then was a
young seminary student who would one day
preach to far more people in far more
languages in far more locations than he
could ever dream of but God used him to
give you a vision for your future and
the thing is dad as I think about me and
my generation of
pastors and leaders that’s what you’ve
done for us it’s the very same thing
whether it’s louie giglio or there’s
there’s dozens of young men and young
women in ministry today and if they were
to be interviewed and if they were to be
asked you know what was the moment where
the veil kind of lifted and the you know
we were able to see our future in a way
that perhaps we haven’t seen it before
there are thousands of people in
ministry your name would be the first
name that was the kid that was mentioned
your your name would be a part of their
story so how interesting that what dr.
Criswell did for you you through the
years have had an opportunity to do for
thousands and thousands and not just
church leaders but a lot of pastors and
a lot of church leaders so this is where
we got off the birthday subject let’s
talk about birthdays now these days when
people wonder what to get you for your
birthday the the category everybody
knows the category is photography
equipment your your your passion in life
beyond preaching is photography and
you’ve been able to use your photography
for ministry it’s not just a hobby but
you’ve been able to blend your hobby in
with ministry can you tell us a little
bit about how you got interested and
again how you view photography as it
relates to ministry because this is a
big part of what you do and who you are
well what got me started was I was going
to Haiti on a mission trip and it
doesn’t how long ago nineteen sixty
something three yeah 60 1963 I was going
to Haiti on a mission trip there were 17
pastors and so my wife said would you
you should take my camera with you I
said well and she had a she had the
finest camera you could buy in those
days she says here’s what you do because
I didn’t know what to do with it
I said she said just set it on suit that
speed is 125
the aperture is 16 and just leave it
there and I shot every picture that way
I came home with these awesome fantastic
photos that surprised me to death that
got me started and then since then it’s
become a big part of your ministry and I
think a lot of your television audience
doesn’t know but sometimes on Sunday
mornings in church before you begin your
sermon you’ll show a picture and then a
tat
devotional to that or the you know why
that picture means so much to use that’s
something you can tell us a little bit
about how that got started because it’s
a very it’s a very powerful image when
you again combine photography with with
words well the way you got started was I
was preaching on Isaiah chapter 40 and
when the Bible says we man up with a
wings as Eagles not been to Alaska and I
had watched this eagle for a little
while and so when he swooped down one
time and picked up a fish with his claws
and the pudding behind it and kept going
then I happened to have gotten him just
at the right moment so one Sunday I was
preaching on Isaiah 40 so I showed that
so people said well why don’t you show
us some of those other things pictures
you you’ve been going all over the place
and we haven’t seen those so I just
started showing him week after week and
I had a little story of each one of them
and then one of the things I remember
probably most is one Sunday I showed a
photo of an wrecked sailboat and I was
on a little island there was a mile
around and I came up on this old
sailboat that was damaged and some guys
are working on it not thought maybe I’ll
shoot that then I thought nice no I can
do that I walked him out the next day
and I thought yes I am so I took time to
photograph the sailboat and I didn’t
think anything else when I got home we
were showing photos of other places
we’ve been and so the next week I was
sitting in a restaurant and this lady
walked over she was a waitress and she
said that she said chalcedony with
yellows and yes ma’am she said I want to
tell you something she said last Sunday
you showed this photo of the sailboat
and she said I was sitting in the second
row right on the end I came to church
totally discouraged I had no hope of
anything in my life and as far as I was
concerned it was about to be all over
and I just happened to drop him that
Sunday she wasn’t didn’t used to come to
church she said when you made this
statement at the end of your sermon and
you showed that picture you made this
statement that when you saw them working
on the boat you knew that one of these
days that sailboat was sailing in she
says when you said szeliga the Spirit of
God yet all of them she said you got
straightened me out sitting right on the
Pew and it’s all of a sudden I saw
myself not as a wreck but as a sailboat
and I was going get out and make things
happen in my life she says that one foot
of absolutely changed my life so that’s
one of the things it motivates me I’m
always looking for something and one
other quick story if I might
it’s your birthday you can tell as many
stories as you know well you all have
seen this picture but maybe not heard of
the story I was down in Charleston and
so I won the warden end of the beach
they got into the beach and it was all
trees up and down the beach so walked a
little ways and all of a sudden I saw
this tree out in the in the ocean
probably at least 75 feet or more and it
was a big tree but no leaves
not too many I’m sorry and I still then
thought to myself how is it growing in
salt water and I thought about all the
storms tornadoes hurricanes floods you
name it and all of a sudden this phrase
hit me still standing its roots were so
deep and its body was so strong that all
the storms with all the power that’s
found in a hurricane
that’s that tree is still standing
and I thought god that’s what you do to
us when we’re rooted and grounded in you
and how life is committed to you no
matter what’s it comes our way we still
stay Wow so there are lots of us alone
well through the years many of us have
listened to many many many many sermons
and so what I thought we could do since
it’s your birthday isn’t sort of get out
of sermon mode a little bit and get into
advice mode a little bit so what I want
to do for our last few minutes is I’d
like for you to give advice to three
groups of people we’re gonna start with
folks in their 20s your grandkids age
folks in their 30s and 40s raising kids
busy working on career and then ask the
question what what advice would you give
to people in their 60s and 70s oh but
many of you know some of you perhaps
don’t but you have six grandkids four
grandsons two granddaughters and I have
been privy to the advice that you’ve
given them one-on-one from time to time
and then I remember one time in Dallas
you got everybody together and you had
all the grandkids around the dining room
table and you actually stood at the end
of the table and you didn’t preach a
sermon but you were standing you were in
your position of authority and you just
imparted extraordinary wisdom to you
know my three kids and to Becky my
sister’s three kids so if you were gonna
speak to this generation of 20-something
year olds and early thirty year olds
based on what you’ve seen and what
you’ve experienced what would you say to
that group well I would say first of all
you need to know what your purpose in
life is all about in other words don’t
just float through life in one job own
occupation the other but ask yourself
the question you know what does God want
to do with my life
and I think a lot of people live without
purpose and if you live with that
purpose you manage to get along but
you’re never satisfied you never feel
complete you’re always wondering what’s
gonna happen next and if I’m gonna get
there to not get married and what’s the
next job is gonna be and so there’s no
sense of direction so I would say you
need to major on asking God to give you
direction for your life not just for the
next job but Lord where do you want me
to head in my life what do you want me
to accomplish and God’s willing to
answer that prayer because he desires
that you fulfill his purpose for
creating you so I would say that to the
younger group first of all to maybe the
group thereafter I would say if you are
raising children and so forth
I’d say first of all you’ve got to be
honest
if your children find that you’re
dishonest you’re in trouble so you’ve
got to be honest you’ve got to have a
sense of purpose that you convey to them
you’ve got to have a relationship to the
Lord if you want them to have a
relationship to the Lord
they’ve got to see that and you have to
be careful what you say and how you say
it and you’ve got to be careful about
who your friends are
and so honesty before children I think
it’s very very very important when you
who are their parents when they lose
confidence in you their life gets
shattered up to a point and then
somebody else has to get them back home
he or they gonna wreck and ruin their
life so I thought I’d say parents have
to be very very careful about being
honest true if you say something you
mean it and then when you get 60 or 70
I think what’s the next chapter in my
life Oh what’s the next challenge in my
life what if I want to accomplish now
the idea of sitting around and saying
thank god I’m gonna die only easier to
say that they’ll say I thank you yeah
well I’m fine then fumble around so I’m
gonna retire and I’ve said it enough
times that people know I don’t believe
in that and scriptures on my side you
should live out your life to the last
day doing something that is wise godly
and profitable for you and the people
who know you and when you say retire
it’s not you’re not just talking about
from a career but you’re talking about
more just disengaging from life and
disengaging with any kind of sense of
purpose because there are a lot of
people who get to the end of a career
and in some businesses or industries
there’s a time when you have to retire
right but you’ve just seen too many
people who wants their job and it it’s
like their life ended and they’re there
their purpose ended and you know that’s
what’s the discouraging one of the
things and you touched on this if I
could go back to it when I was growing
up that the thing that you raised me
around was that God has a plan for your
life you don’t want to miss it God has a
plan for your life you don’t want to
miss it when you think about the
you gave our kids your grandkids and the
message to this generation of
20-something year olds for me that was
so powerful that when I was in the I
must have been I was driving so it must
have been in 10th or 11th grade maybe
11th grade in my first quiet time
journal that I still have my first entry
was this and I still have this it said
if I ever have a son I’m going to tell
him that God has a plan for his life
this has served me well or something
along those lines that was my first
journal entry so the first time I ever
thought about writing a prayer or having
a quiet time that was that that was the
very first thing that came to mind is is
an 11th grader the idea of having a
purpose in life and that God had
something for me and that I didn’t want
to be messing around and miss it that
was so instructive and then in addition
to that the other thing that you and mom
did is you gave us extraordinary freedom
you gave us so much freedom when I think
back I think it kind of scares me how
much freedom you gave us but you but
this was it was so powerful but not
that’s why I wanted to bring it up for
parents who are listening you
essentially said God is a plan for your
life you’re accountable to God now I’m
not gonna have a bunch of extra rules
because you’re accountable to God and
those two things together we’re such a
powerful combination in our lives and
I’m so grateful for that and it
certainly has been instructive to me as
a parent but every once in a while when
I would be tempted to kind of pull back
a little bit I would remember that I
would think no if you’re gonna send your
kids into the world with a sense of
purpose
along with purpose there is a freedom
that comes with that and one without the
other creates an unnecessary tension in
the home and that was just so powerful I
just didn’t want the audience especially
parents to miss it and then one other
thing talking about you know families
people in their 30s and 40s raising kids
one of the big tensions as you know is
the tension between work and home
there’s a lot to do at work but there’s
a lot to do at home there’s a lot to do
at work and we’ve both seen especially
in pastors families pastors who married
the church and just relegate you know
child-rearing to it a wife or I don’t
have time for that or I’m doing God’s
work and to your credit into my benefit
you
never did that and I don’t know how you
did so well with that you didn’t grow up
with a father your father died when you
were 17 months old 9 months 9 months old
and yet so he didn’t have a role model
but somehow you knew with all the
busyness and the craziness of ministry
and all the pressure and having two
organizations I just want the world to
know in those crazy busiest times you
never missed a ball game you never
missed a special event and and here’s
the thing that’s the overwhelming
especially now that I’m a parent you
remember the summer that we took a
five-week vacation
five weeks five weeks we pulled a travel
trailer what eight and 18 foot 18 foot
travel trailer from Georgia all to
California all over the country five
weeks can you imagine having to be alone
with your kids for five weeks and an 18
foot trailer so I mean it was you know
as fabulous as a kid but now as a parent
I’m like who has time for that but that
was the priority you gave me and gave
Becky and gave our family and so I just
didn’t want to rush by without your
audience knowing that backstory and I
think it’s one of the reasons that I’m
here and it certainly has contributed to
our relationship so I just wanted to say
thanks for that you you’ve got a lot of
those things right ok you got all these
things right you know I can still
remember before you are even able to
think that when you go to this it’s
about 15 years old 14 there was when you
end the vid I didn’t kneel down by the
bed every night and I would always say
this God has a real feel like you didn’t
need to know what I was saying and then
you grew up a little bit and I would
always say Andy remember what God has
will for your life I preached that into
you before you of it I understood what
it meant until you did understand what
it meant and we would talk about it
because I knew that if you settle that
issue whatever it was I had no idea
you’d be a preacher in fact I thought of
that maybe God delivered you that you’re
not going to be one but anyway
I just drilled that into your head and
into a Becky God has a will for your
life and he’ll show you what the will is
if you listen to him and so that was my
primary lesson I wanted you to get and
if you got that one I would be happy
mm-hmm well we got it and I still pray I
tell our churches all the time when I
talk about my growing up here’s and my
personal devotional life I always say I
still pray at this season of my life God
show me you’re playing for my life show
me your will for my life because that’s
not a young person’s prayer that’s a
that’s a lifetime prayer and there are
so many transitions in life whether it’s
which school do I go to who do i marry
what do I do with my kids in this season
you know career it’s we’re all you know
we never outgrow that prayer do we know
and you know I to me your prayer life is
the most important thing in your life
that’s not right nothing else going to
be right and I remember I had a study
out in the backyard in Miami
I remember being down praying one day
and I felt something you know what it
wasn’t something I’m kneeling down
stretched out on this concrete floor and
and now look over that here’s Andy he
sneaked in and he was looking at me well
he was dead what was going on and I
think I didn’t do it for him I think
parents need to hear and but their
children need to hear them pray and you
got working in their life and I think I
look back and you know I just did what I
wouldn’t want my father to do to me and
what I felt like you needed and deserved
and I think we make a big deal out of
raising children well their pens are you
who you start with you start with a God
and you do what God tells you to do
there’s no way view to live in a
household with a true godly parents who
live it out talk it out act it out
without having an awesome eternal effect
on the life and the children and so if I
had done something different than I had
said to you you and I believe me and yet
I I know you were listening and I trust
him I’ll tell you much I trusted Andy
my wife and I were going to New Zealand
for about a month
preaching this Anila and so Andy got his
driver’s license the day before we left
and I but you know what I look back and
think I’m crazy he was crazy that was a
crazy decision because I remember I
still remember when mom’s Catalina big
Ford or beige Catalina and we’re at
Hartsville at the airport I’m 16 I just
got my license and I took y’all to the
airport and dropped you off and you left
the country and there I am it’s at 16 at
Hartsville and I’m gonna drive all the
way back through Atlanta to Tucker
Georgia and again it’s one of those
moments but now as a parent I’m thinking
what were they thinking and it was there
was just this extraordinary trust and
I’ve heard you say Andy I don’t we never
lost a minute of sleep how do you say it
you just you just didn’t worry I never
lost a minute of sleep over where you
were what you were doing and you should
have that’s what’s so amazing you know
we got there eventually but but the
point and all that that I really hope
that you’re hearing is there really was
because of what you said you you started
you know engaging us with that message
that God has a plan for our lives
and with that is ultimately you’re
accountable to God you’re not
accountable to me you’re not accountable
to your mom we’re gonna raise you but
you’re gonna spend more of your life
accountable to God as an individual then
you’ll ever spend with us and we’re just
gonna we’re just gonna start this as
early as possible on this same topic dad
Trust is a stewardship and it’s a
powerful powerful thing it’s a weight
and you handed that to me I’m at a young
age when I turned 16 after you got back
from that trip actually soon as you got
back from the trip you said well you
gotta go get a job and I said how do you
do that you said you just drive around
and find a job here’s the keys go find a
job so I went started working at the
grocery store cleaning the meat
department at night and that’s right so
with that freedom became you know
responsibility and so I you know I’ve
always worked hard I don’t want to miss
this recently we were having a similar
conversation
and I am I said dad what brings you the
most joy and I thought for sure you
would just point at me but you didn’t I
said what brings you the most joy and I
I didn’t know I could have you know I
had several things I thought you might
say and I loved your answer you said
what brings you the most joy is your
personal relationship with Jesus Christ
that’s right and I’d love for you to
talk about that just a bit because
that’s not a thing and that’s something
that’s been a treasured part of your
Christian experience since you were a
young man and here all these years later
you know what brings you the most joy
and it’s still bad well you know when I
was a kid and I’ll start off being a
teenager and delivering newspapers I
live we lived in a very small house and
so I grew up in the Pentecostal church
Holiness Church where you prayed out
loud so I had found me a place to pray
out loud so that had the church it was
about a block up a street from me and I
went downstairs in the basement area and
went back in a classroom had to go
through that three doors to get in that
classroom and I thought well I’m getting
in pray as loud as I want to and so in
my high school years in junior high
school years that’s where I prayed and
that sort of got me in a good habit of
pray and being able to say it as loud as
I wanted to in and I would look back and
then I delivered newspapers so I got up
at 5:30 every morning and so nobody on
the street but me in a small town so I’d
start praying as soon as I walked out
the door and I’d pray all over the
streets and has he got protected me
several times from different things one
of which is I delivered newspapers in
the afternoon in the morning and I would
go up and down that one of the main
thoroughfares through Danville so that
cars coming in every way and I look I
did that about four or five years and I
think back how many times
I got protected me from walking out in
front of a car and I remember this one
that one day I did walk out in front of
one and this screeching halt
and so and sort of settle down this lady
I knew who she was miss Finch she lived
right for hours delivering papers and
she said chump Stanley don’t get killed
in front of my house and so I look back
and realize how God really did protect
me from just think of it and how many
times I cross the street in four years
of delivering newspapers and so you know
and I because I prayed all the way not I
didn’t pray long way in the afternoon is
too many distractions but to me that’s
the most important thing and when I come
home on Sunday afternoons and as I’m
praying and asking God to give me
direction and I’ve walked through the
house and I pray out loud it’s not
because I think God can’t hear but
that’s just the way I feel no words I
want to express it and I would say to
anybody and I wanted to end in Becky I
didn’t I didn’t say to them when you
need to pray I wanted them to catch it
about watching and seeing what God would
do in their life and I do think that’s
the most important one thing we can do
and mixing it of course with reading the
Word of God because it’s like the
compass you know and that compass is
never wrong that compass is always right
the Word of God and so if I’m asking God
about something then I’m gonna be
praying and I to me the wonderful thing
about about your personal credit life is
and I’m not boasting of that God knows
I’m not but just to think that I can
talk to the Heavenly Father he’s
personally interested in you he knows
all about you
he knows the past present future knows
how long you gonna live
he knows what you what he equipped you
to do best and he’s there to listen to
you talk to him and
and receive from him and someone that
says if you ever heard the gods speak
multitudes of times out loud no he
doesn’t need to speak out loud to me I
just I just wanted to hear what I have
to say and respond and I think it’s very
critical times in my life when prayer
saved me doing the right thing mm-hmm
and I you know you mentioned the house
that First Baptist Church of Miami built
out side in our backyard that
cinderblock house and I would go out to
get him for dinner and I would close the
back door and it wasn’t very far I mean
you know I was a little boy but how far
was that house that little house from
the back of our house 30 feet yeah was
it that yeah 30 40 feet maybe and about
halfway there I could hear him praying I
would hear his voice couldn’t understand
what I would hear his voice open that
door to the shed side before the office
side and he would be stretched out
praying so I just I grew up with that
and to this day I pray on my knees in
the mornings and there’s there’s
something about that posture absolutely
that’s so powerful that I learned from
you and when I talk to pastors I love to
talk about their personal devotional
life because a lot of pastors don’t have
one unfortunately and it’s so funny when
I talk about praying on my knees I can
see the looks on the faces like either I
don’t know what they’re thinking why
would you do that why is that important
does it really matter and I say the poss
we’re we are physical people and our
physical posture says something to us
and it says something to our minds and
our brains there’s a physiological thing
about being on your knees because in our
human experience it is the posture of
submission and I’m absolutely convinced
there’s something to that and you taught
me that and you taught me that that
morning prayer time is where we get
Reese entered it’s you know it’s you
begin the day with I will be done I
don’t know what it is I want to know
your will but at the end of the day
whether I know it or not thy will be
done that one last question dad what do
you want to come to mind when people
think of
if you’re about to leave public life and
people lined up to thank you what would
you want to hear because that’s I think
that says a lot about what you value
most and what you value about your life
so your legacy what you would want
people to thank you for what you want to
be remembered for well I have to be
carefully I answer that I would want to
I would want them to thank me for
the godly life I desired to live in the
truth that I’ve taught them all the
years other ones yeah I don’t like
talking about myself
necessarily I naturally I want everybody
to remember that the key principle is
obey God leave all the consequences Dean
and that I’m genuine and I really and
truly want God to work in people’s lives
and I don’t have any to my knowledge I
don’t have any selfish ambitions I don’t
want to be and I never tried to be
well-known a worldwide known all that
stuff but God’s done a lot in my life
that I would never have dreamed of that
I’m very very grateful and I think
knowing you and having seen you in so
many different environments I think
that’s the word I think you are the most
you’re the most surprised by your
success
you’re the most surprised by the breath
of the ministry and so consequently you
are the most grateful for all that God
has done and we are extraordinarily
grateful for you happy birthday would
you wish him
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