Dr. Paul Pettid of Dallas Theological Seminary joins Encouragement Live tonight
>> Don Hawkins: Coming up on Encouragement Live, in light of the major disaster in Central Texas on July 4th, how do we address questions about the character of God? Dr. Paul Pettid of Dallas Theological Seminary shares important perspectives on Encouragement Live. Welcome to Encouragement Live, providing biblically based encouragement and insight on a wide range of practical life issues. Now, here's your host, Don Hawkins, author, of, Master Discipleship Today. Thank you, Steve. And thank you, friend, for joining us as live from studios located in First Christian Church of Wylie, Texas, Encouragement Communications presents Encouragement Live. Our mission mission is to provide biblically based encouragement and insight on a wide range of practical life issues. Joining me tonight, Dr. Paul Pettit. He's the director of Career services and adjunct professor of Pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. Paul, great to have you back. And that title, almost takes a, half a minute to announce.
>> Paul Pettit: Thanks, Don. It's great to be here. Look forward to it.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes. always a joy. Paul's the founder and president of Dynamic Dads, an organization offering encouragement to fathers. He's written a book entitled Dynamic Dads how to be a hero to your kids. Congratulations. You've got tweens. And I'm assuming those are younger than teens, 8 to 12. 8 to 12. Okay. That's an interesting. Some of you have children in that age bracket. Also, foundations of spiritual Formation and a book that we've talked about on this broadcast, co authored with Jason Epps, One Body, One Spirit. give us a, thumbnail sketch of that book. I think it's a great book, Paul.
>> Paul Pettit: Well, we're finding out in America about one in six have a disability. It's amazing. So we're talking about how can churches welcome people and become friends with people who have disability. Oftentimes they come to church and there's, no ramp. You know, can't even get into church with a wheelchair. Or even worse, someone says, I want to teach a class or I want to get involved, and they say, no, no, no, you have a disability. You need to come on Tuesday nights. So the book is how do we welcome anyone with a disability to get fully involved in ministry?
>> Don Hawkins: And Jason Epps, comes to test from a personal perspective.
>> Paul Pettit: He's got cerebral palsy, but he's got his Master of Theology from Dallas Seminary, and he's working on his PhD at Midwestern in Kansas City.
>> Don Hawkins: And again, the title of that book, One Body, One Spirit. I'm assuming it's orderable on Amazon?
>> Paul Pettit: Yes, you can get that on Amazon. One Body, One Spirit. Make sure you look for Paul Pettit or Jason Epps. Because there's a couple of other books with a similar title.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah, keep that in mind.
Paul Pettit: Where was God when Kerrville happened
And we're talking tonight about where was God when Kerrville happened? You have a question or comment? The number to call is 855-586. That's 855-586-Life. Paul. I think the country is still stunned by the disaster that occurred on July 4th. In the early morning hours when those flood waters poured through the Guadalupe river in and around Kerrville and 130 plus souls perished, including a large number of girls from that Christian campground, the mystic campground. And I'm sure you've heard the question, as I have. Where was God? Why would God have allowed this? Why couldn't he have prevented this?
>> Paul Pettit: Well, it's a very.
>> Don Hawkins: Ah.
>> Paul Pettit: And the first thing we do, though, is grieve. We just must grieve with those who grieve because we are full of compassion. God is a God of love. God is a God of kindness. God is a benevolent God of compassion. But, we also wonder. We get into that stage of grieving where we say, but why? We ask that question, why did this happen? And we have to realize that two things. One, God is good. We have to keep that intention with God is sovereign. God is great. Every little child learns that dinner prayer. God is good. God is great. You know.
>> Don Hawkins: Now you got the rhyme. God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for the food.
>> Paul Pettit: Yes. And we say, well, God is great. Yes, we all agree with that. We say, he's sovereign, he's all powerful, he's all knowing. At the seminary, we would say, he's omnipotent, he's omniscient. But then we also have to put the other intention. God is good. And so we don't know the reasons why. Some things happen because of the fall. We live in chaos. But sometimes God intervenes in that chaos for reasons that are of his own choosing.
>> Don Hawkins: Maybe some of you have had a personal disaster in your life, or maybe you were affected. Maybe you lost a loved one in that disaster on the 4th of July. We'd love to encourage you and talk with you tonight. Our number is 855-586-LIFE.
>> Paul Pettit: We're over 100 years old.
>> Don Hawkins: Dallas Theological Seminary President Dr. Mark Yarbrough on the seminary's motto, teach truth, love. Well, that is what we do. That's our slogan that we use.
>> Paul Pettit: Obviously, it's preach the word for all of us.
>> Don Hawkins: We are called to teach truth and live it out. To learn more about How Dallas Theological Seminary can equip you for biblically based Christian service. Visit dts. Edu. That's dts. Edu.
>> Dr. Rex Rogers: I was so high and I was so drunk that I couldn't walk. I couldn't even stand up. I collapsed in my garage. And then I awoke two days later in the hospital. I heard about Teen Challenge. I came here and this place has shown me that it truly does care. That's when everything changed.
>> Toni King: At Adult and Teen Challenge, we provide hope and healing for a new drug free future. And you can find the center nearest you at 8:55 and addiction or teenchallengeusa.org Freedom from addiction starts here.
>> Don Hawkins: So good to have those of you listening tonight on American Family Radio. Also Life Changing Radio and Joy Christian Radio. Number of other individual stations around the country. And Lonesome Road Radio. Good to have you listening. That's an Internet radio station. Paul Pettit for truckers. And they care. They carry us twice a day on Tuesdays.
>> Paul Pettit: Wow.
>> Don Hawkins: They record the programs and they have documented over 8 million listeners. You can imagine all truckers. Mainly truckers.
>> Paul Pettit: Welcome truckers.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes, we're glad to have you along. And the other night we actually had two or three truckers call in when we were live. And if we have some tonight, that will be fine.
Paul Bishop discusses living in a fallen world with Roger Bishop
again, we're talking about where was God when Kerrville happened? and Paul, how does living in a fallen world, you touched on this, corrupted by the effects of sin. How does this enter that picture?
>> Paul Pettit: Well, ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, all of the whole world was thrust into chaos. And so it wasn't supposed to be this way. You know, I heard a song on the way over here that said, this world is not our home. Our home is in the. We're just passing through right now. But since the fall, we have cancer, we have tornadoes, we have hurricanes, we have people speeding on the highways going 100 miles an hour and crashing their car. So right now we're in the midst of the fall. But at the day of the Lord, everything will be reversed. And, then we'll be face to face with Jesus Christ. We'll have no more tears. We'll have all of our answers. But right now we live in that chaos. And apparently occasionally God reaches in and performs miracles.
>> Don Hawkins: You may have gone through a disaster in your personal life tonight, friend. Maybe you're struggling with the grief, the effects of that. You're, really just can't seem to get unstuck from it. We'd love to talk with you about how to get unstuck, to pray with you, to talk with you, to encourage you. 1-855-586-5433 is the toll free number. That's 855-586-LIFE. We appre. Team members are helping make the broadcast possible. Cora and Chris and, Rodney and Danny and Wriley. We appreciate every one of them. And good to have Roger Bishop in the studio with us tonight. A special guest and Keith Mayo, engineering at the Worship Channel. And just great team of people making this ministry possible.
>> Paul Pettit: It takes teamwork to make the dream work.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah. Who said that originally?
>> Paul Pettit: Everybody needs to use their gift. You know, we all have different gifts and we have to use our gift. Do, do what you're good at.
>> Don Hawkins: And our ministry is encouragement. That happens to be my spiritual gift, primary gift, and, and may have some other gifts. You have multiple gifts, but God wants us to be good stewards of the gifts he's given us.
Could a tragedy like Kerrville inspire someone to go into vocational ministry
And by the way, since, you are teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary, could a tragedy like Kerrville actually spur somebody to think about going into vocational ministry or perhaps getting training at a seminary like the school that you and I both graduated from? Dallas Seminary.
>> Paul Pettit: Absolutely. I'm hearing, about the young man that was at the site. He was working for kpmg. He was a accountant with kpmg. And he said, I want to do something that lasts. He enrolled in the Coast Guard, and this was his first assignment. Yeah, his very first assignment ever. His last name is Ruskin, Scott Ruskin. And he was there on site. And so if someone feels the lead to go to Dallas Seminary, they should check it out.
>> Don Hawkins: We're going to talk more about Scott Ruskin and the amazing story about how God used him to save many lives. And we'd love to hear from you tonight, friend. The number 855-586-5433. We'll be right back. Crossflix, a complete multimedia platform at your fingertips, featuring faith based shows for the entire family. Plus an amazing library of interactive online Bible courses such as Revealing the Secrets of the Hebrew Bible.
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60% of Christians will die with no will; only 10% have estate plans
>> Don Hawkins: 60% of Christians will die with no will. Only 10% have up to date estate plans, virtually guaranteeing that probate courts will sort out their affairs. What does being a wise steward of God's resources mean? The Bible has a lot to say on the subject. Sat 7 offers a biblical estate planning seminar or webinar that takes the mystery out of wills, trusts and estate planning. To learn more, visit sat7usa.org Plan the.
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>> Don Hawkins: SAT7's new president, John Cernelia.
>> Paul Pettit: Our vision is to see a growing church in the Middle east and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community, and contributing to the good of society and culture.
>> Don Hawkins: To learn more or support this ministry, visit sat7usa.org Toni King on her book the Maze of Medicare.
>> Toni King: I looked up on the Internet how many books have biblical in regards to Medicare, and there was zero. And then God brought you into my life and you helped me write the Maze of Medicare because we took Medicare and put scripture with it because people are stressed, they don't know what to do, where to turn.
>> Don Hawkins: You can order the Maze of medicare@, tonysays.com that's T O N I tonysays.com thank you, friend, for joining us for encouragement live.
Dr. Paul Pettit shares story about rescue swimmer during Texas flood
I'm Don Hawkins, Dr. Paul Pettit of Dallas Theological Seminary with me tonight on the program music you're hearing coming back from the break, written by and produced by Brad Smithard, a member of our team. And pray for Brad and Nikki. They both are dealing with some health issues right now, and I know would appreciate your prayers. You can Google Brad Smithart if you'd like to order some of Brad's music. And it's, very easy to listen to. We mentioned the name, Paul, Scott Ruskin, a real hero, during the disaster, the, hours after, that flood, water raced through and. And, you were telling us about the fact that he had just enrolled in the Coast Guard.
>> Paul Pettit: Yeah, he'd left a lucrative career at kpmg, where he was an accountant. And he said, I wanted to do something that really makes a difference. And he wanted to use his gifts. He was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, and he had trained in advanced rescue swimming. Can you imagine?
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah.
>> Paul Pettit: And that night, it was so dark, no one could see, and it was so much rain and flooding that the roads were closed, so they couldn't even bring in the right equipment on the roads, and much less, the river was flooded, so they couldn't even bring in boats. So since the river was flooded, no boats. Since the roads were full of water, no cars, the only thing they could use were helicopters. And that was his specialty. He lowered and raised 165 people. Because of the weight limits. He could only do two or three at a time. Wow. And the water was. The rain was continuing to come down. Some people were. He was reaching into the river and pulling them out. And he says, this is what it's all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job. This is what we train for. And you and I, we have a savior here in Scott Ruskin. But there is the Savior. The Savior who left heaven. And, he reaches out a hand to us and our. We're swimming in sin, you know, we're dead in our sins and trespasses, and he rescues the perishing.
>> Don Hawkins: That's the good news of the gospel. And Paul, that's something we always like to share on this program. And, we never know. And this is one lesson that I think every one of us can take away from the disaster that occurred in Kerr county, in Kerrville, in central Texas on the 4th of July. We do not know what tomorrow will bring forth. Those girls that were in that camp, those people in campers that were washed away, they were not expecting that their lives would end. And ton, it may be you're driving down the road headed to a get together with family. Maybe you're on vacation, maybe you're headed for the beach or the mountains. But the reality is, none of us can boast of tomorrow, James said, because we don't know what a day will bring forth. The Bible makes it clear, as Paul just said, that we're all sinners. Romans 3, 23. And the penalty for sin is death. Romans 6, 23. but that verse goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Paul, what that means is one thing we have to do is by faith receive that free gift of everlasting life. And I can't help thinking somebody's listening to our program tonight who needs to place their trust in the Lord Jesus tonight and not put it off till tomorrow.
>> Paul Pettit: That's absolutely right. Each one of those young girls had to place their trust in Scott Ruskin. They had to reach out a hand. They had to believe that Scott Ruskin could save them. And it's the same with Jesus Christ. We have to reach out a hand and believe that Jesus is God. You know, Proverbs 16:9 says, the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes the steps. So we don't know what tomorrow brings. I remember the old folks used to say, well, I'm going to this event or that event. And then they'd always add, lord willing. Yes, I think we need to bring that back. I think today we think, oh, I've got my gps, I've got the computers, I've got AI, I've got Waymo, there's no driver. I just sit in the back seat. But we need to bring back that God is sovereign and God is in control. And we'll say, I'm going to go down to see Pastor Don Hawkins. Lord willing.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes. And you made the point, Paul, earlier, the prayer. God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hand we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. and not only our daily bread, but ultimately the most important thing we need from the Lord is that free gift of salvation. And tonight you may be listening, friend, and you are saying, okay, how do I make that happen in my life? We would invite you to just right where you are, pause and lift a prayer to the Lord and say, lord Jesus, I admit that I'm a sinner. I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and rose again from the dead. And I'm placing my trust in him and him alone for my salvation. And friend, if that's the heart prayer of you tonight, we would love to talk with you so that we can help you get to the assurance of your salvation. The toll free number is 855-586-5433. That's 855586 life now, Paul. Believers still grieve when they lose loved ones. And I think people here in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, people who listen in Birmingham over WLJR and Mountain Brook, Alabama, lost, a little girl who was at the camp and, and others in different parts of the country. And maybe some people are grieving loved ones. Maybe your relatives were parked by the side of the Guadalupe river and they were washed away. the camp director was amazing. He saved so many lives and yet he himself was washed away. That's right.
Talk to us about what grief is and how do we process it
Talk to us about what grief is and how do we process it? And what about the stages?
>> Paul Pettit: Well, first is shock. We're just, can't believe it's happening. And then we barter with God. God, I'll do anything to have this reversed. And then we get into that moments of acceptance and grieving and it's important to grieve. Well, everybody needs to grieve. Well, you can't put it aside or stuff it or say, oh, this didn't really affect me. I was driving Through Highland park yesterday. And I saw the green ribbons all over Highland park, all the trees of Highland park, the green ribbons. someone from the Hunt family. You know the Hunt?
>> Don Hawkins: Yes, Right.
>> Paul Pettit: A little. A little girl from the Hunt family passed away. And they have several girls in the Highland park neighborhood. Green ribbons all over. And that's healthy, because we live in this time of chaos, and this is not our home. We're just passing through. So tough times are going to come. Death is going to come. Tragedy, disability is going to happen. And so we have to trust God. We have to put our faith in God, that He knows best, and he's a good God. He's a good father. But sometimes we have to lean on Romans 8, 28. And we know. We know that those who love God, things will work together for good. It doesn't say that all things are good, but it, says all things will work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. So we have to trust the goodness of God and the sovereignty of God. We have to hold those two things in balance.
>> Don Hawkins: Very important to keep those in balance, to recognize those. And some of you tonight may be struggling with that, maybe. And it's okay to struggle. We want to affirm the fact that, we're not giving you glib, pat answers. We're talking about a process. Grief is a process. You know, I think about Jesus at the graveside of Lazarus, and, when he arrived there, and he had been gone for several days and could have come and could have probably, as Martha said, lord, if you've been. Where are you? Where are you? If you've been here, my brother would not have died. And. And, And he said, your brother will rise again. And she said, yeah, in the resurrection at the latter day. And I love what he said to her. Yeah, I am the resurrection and the life. And then they went to the tomb, and Mary was there, and. And Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible, John chapter 11. and, grief. And he knew what he was about to do. He knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
>> Paul Pettit: But he had that matching emotion. He entered into their pain. He knew that it was a struggle in this life.
>> Don Hawkins: You know, one of the things that intrigues me about that whole account in John 11, Paul, is the fact that, there were a couple of things that Jesus had the people who were standing by do. For example, he told them to roll the stone away. Now, if the stone is the right size, you and I could roll that stone. We'd get Ro Roger to help us. And all three of us could probably roll a pretty good sized stone away. And those people could roll that big stone away. So Jesus didn't need to point at the stone and say, roll back. And then when Lazarus came out of the tomb alive, he said, unwrap him from his grave cloths and let him go. Loose him and let him go. I love it. And, they could do that, but the one thing they could not do was say to a dead man, lazarus, come forth. You've probably heard this too. if that was in a cemetery and he had not put the name Lazarus on it, the whole graveyard would have emptied.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right. He said, lazarus, come forth.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah, Very personal. He who was dead. when I preach on Lazarus, the title is the man who had two funerals.
>> Paul Pettit: Oh, wow. Well, he was resuscitated.
>> Don Hawkins: Restored to life. Yeah, restored to life, resuscitated, but to die again.
>> Paul Pettit: But Jesus was raised and lives eternally.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah, he was the first fruits of those who asleep, who are physically dead, tonight, maybe you've lost a loved one recently. Maybe it was in a disaster. And, and there have been other disasters that have happened. There was a shooting in a church that happened up in Michigan. A couple of people lost their lives, a similar situation in Kentucky. And, people face disasters every day. Maybe in a, as you mentioned, a car accident or something of that nature, cancer diagnosis, those things. Tonight, friend, our God is faithful. And if you're working your way through the grief, if you'd like to talk about what you're going through, you don't have to use real name. Maybe you'd rather use an assumed name or just go by the name Anonymous. Sometimes people are more comfortable that way. We'd love to hear from you. Paul and I are here to be of encouragement to you.
>> Paul Pettit: Yeah.
>> Don Hawkins: And our toll free number is 855-586-5433.
Paul: Seminary is not for everyone. Uh, what should a person do
Now, Paul, I mentioned Dallas Theological Seminary, and the fact that maybe some people having gone through these disasters, are sensing a life mission. what should a person do, in terms of evaluating what is God calling me? Is he calling me to vocational service?
>> Paul Pettit: Well, seminary is not for everyone. It's, it's difficult, it's academic. Sometimes we think, oh, it's just going to be a great Bible study. We're just going to walk around campus.
>> Don Hawkins: Like Sunday school, and you get.
>> Paul Pettit: There and you have a Greek quiz or a Hebrew exam or a theological exam. So it's for those who feel I want to Work in Christian vocational ministry full time. You know, I feel like I can't go on unless I'm teaching the Bible or, or a full time counselor or maybe even a missionary. Someone that's going to go to another culture. So it's a specific type of school. But if someone just gets to the point where they think it's the only thing I can really do and feel fulfilled. I think it was Charles Spurgeon who said, if you can do anything else, do that.
>> Don Hawkins: Right.
>> Paul Pettit: But if you really want to do work for God in the church, then you need biblical theological training.
>> Don Hawkins: And you may be saying, well, I'm not sure that I could cut it. I'm not sure that I have the resources. I would encourage you, and I know you would as well, Paul, to invest. Investigated. And the place to start is on the website.
>> Paul Pettit: Yeah.
>> Don Hawkins: DTS edu.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right.
>> Don Hawkins: You can go there and investigate some of the courses, programs of study. Maybe you already have a bachelor's degree. Dallas has several master's degrees and then maybe you have a master's degree already. You might be interested in a doctorate, a Doctor of ministry or a Ph.D. in biblical studies. Yes, all of those are available. And Paul, we make want to make sure we mention the fact that. Fact there are courses available for laypeople. Courses DTS edu. Talk about those free Bible study courses.
>> Paul Pettit: Well, we just started that a few years ago and they've been wildly popular. We have thousands and thousands of people studying with us online at a distance. Courses DTS edu. That's courses. Dts. So it's a free Bible study with a little bit of a deeper level of engagement.
>> Don Hawkins: So check that website out, DTS edu. And if you'd like to investigate one of those free Bible study courses, just add the prefix courses. DTS edu, if you'd like to call us.
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>> Dr. Rex Rogers: And I was so drunk that I couldn't walk. I couldn't even stand up. I collapsed in my garage and then I awoke two days later in the hospital. I heard my about Teen Challenge. I came here and this place has shown me that it truly does care. That's when everything changed.
>> Toni King: At Adult and Teen Challenge we provide hope and healing for a new drug free future. And you can find the center nearest you at 8:55 and addiction or teenchallengeusa.org Freedom from addiction starts here.
Don Hawkins: Cheryl was named executor of her late husband's estate
>> Don Hawkins: Welcome back to Encouragement Live.
>> Steve: Our toll free number is 855-586-LIFE.
>> Don Hawkins: Here again is your host, Don Hawkins, author of Master Discipleship Today. And we're so glad to be able to talk with you tonight about the subject where was God when Kerrville happened? And one of the things that Dr. Paul Pettit of Dallas Theological Seminary has told us is that God demonstrated his goodness through people like Scott Ruskin and others, Paul who rescued and saved hundreds of lives.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right.
>> Don Hawkins: In fact, I've heard estimates that over a thousand lives were sa.
>> Paul Pettit: Wow.
>> Don Hawkins: just an amazing thing to think about. And and yet God is still sovereign. Let's go to the phones. 855-586-5433. Cheryl is listening in Kansas tonight over American Family Radio. Good Evening, Cheryl.
>> Cheryl: Good evening.
>> Don Hawkins: Go ahead. You're on the air.
>> Cheryl: I don't know how to handle this. Tough. When my husband passed away a month ago, his grown children were here, and his son, while I was in the house or at a doctor's appointment, would go out to his dad's workshop and take things. And he completely took. I mean, it was dewalt tools. It was nice tools. And then my neighbor, she called me one evening, and she says, you need to go outside. They are carrying things out. And it was in the dark, so I just went out to the pickup and waited on him. And it really got kind of heated. And he said, well, I was a part of my dad's life longer than you, and I deserved this.
>> Don Hawkins: That is so sad. Yeah.
>> Cheryl: How. I mean, his dad hadn't even been buried yet, but how do I. As. As a Christian? It was so wrong. Yeah, but. And God says, turn the other cheek. I don't know how to handle this.
>> Don Hawkins: Well, Cheryl, first of all, thank you for calling and letting us carry your burden. Years ago, my friend Dr. Frank Minrith, who's in heaven now, said, a burden shared is half a burden.
>> Paul Pettit: Burden.
>> Don Hawkins: And you have shared your burden with us. And, maybe it's just a third of a burden because Paul is here with me as well. And we don't have any easy answers for a terrible situation like this. I. I do know this as having been a pastor for many years. When people suffer a death, they have different kinds of reactions. And, I have seen times when people just seem to want to grab onto every single possession that they could, sometimes out of greed and sometimes just out of their method of coping with, the loss, not knowing any way to cope. Paul, do you have any thoughts on this situation?
>> Paul Pettit: Well, our tendency is to be kind and compassionate, but we also have to have boundaries. And we sometimes have to get an elder of a church involved or a pastor or even a local authority, because we need to do things decently and in order. So we had someone recently in our family pass away, and I was named the executive executor. And, boy, I had a whole world opened up to me.
>> Don Hawkins: Oh, boy.
>> Paul Pettit: You have to have a will, a trust. you have to go to the courts. So I would encourage either an attorney or a local pastor or someone. You can't just say, well, he's taking things, or he's stealing things. Well, and then he says, well, those were mine. So there needs to be a mediator. There needs to be some. Someone involved that can Bring some peace out of this chaos.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah. And typically things don't get taken. Taken immediately after, you know, within a week or a month of someone passing. And, are you involved in a local church, Cheryl?
>> Cheryl: I have a wonderful church. From the day he passed away until his funeral, there was a full meal brought to the home every day.
>> Don Hawkins: Wonderful.
>> Cheryl: And they call me, check on me, and my family is wonderful, wonderful. But, this son is from out of state.
>> Don Hawkins: Right.
>> Cheryl: And he wanted even to get the ATV out. And he tried to get the door open. He was going to put that on a trailer and haul it from here to his home.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah.
>> Cheryl: He wanted something sentimental. Well, that to me is a tool belt that his dad wore when he was working.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah.
>> Cheryl: Not the whole shop.
>> Don Hawkins: Well, I was going to say, you know, to just come in and take everything. I think, two things, number one, as Paul said, involve the leadership of the church. But secondly, I think the legal authorities need to be involved in this. that's what God has given them. Romans 13 makes it clear that they are people who, have the right to enforce laws. And there are laws that are in play here. And we want to pray with you, Cheryl, about this. We're going to ask God. We don't know how this will turn out, but we knew do know this. God has given you a great attitude about it. You are, you are establishing the boundary that should be there. As Paul mentioned, by the way, there's a great book on that subject written by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, is simply titled Boundaries. And I would encourage you to get a copy of that book. It will give you a lot of insight into how to deal with situations like this. Because there could be something else come up like this. Like you say, Paul, when you're the executive.
Grieving process involves working through legal channels, which can be difficult
And I've played that role a couple of times, but believe me, it is not easy. All the money in the world is not going to pay off the headaches.
>> Paul Pettit: Yeah. And it's part of that grief process. You know, it's amazing how people like you said, say, well, my grandmother, she always promised to that car or even something my uncle promised me the farm. So that needs to be worked out through legal channels.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah. It has to be done that way decently and in order is what Paul told the Corinthians.
Paul, would you lead us in prayer for Cheryl about this situation
Paul, would you lead us in prayer for Cheryl about this situation?
>> Paul Pettit: Heavenly Father, we pray for Cheryl in Kansas and we are grieving the loss of her husband. And you say in your word that the purest form of ministry is helping with widows and so we want to encourage her tonight and pray that she gets the legal help she needs, the authority help she needs to keep everything in proper order, that there would not be stealing or things misappropriated. So we pray for Cheryl tonight, Lord, and we pray that you would bless her in a special way. Amen.
>> Don Hawkins: Amen. Thank you, Cheryl, for your call tonight. God bless.
>> Cheryl: Okay, thank you.
>> Don Hawkins: 855-586-5433 is the number number. Ellis is listening in Texas tonight. Ellis, good to hear from you. Go ahead.
>> Caroline: I spent the night on the Guadalupe River 51 years ago as an 18 year old. And I was at the foot of a kind of a cliff. And I was thinking that night, if there was a storm here, down or upstream or downstream, the downstream side would have a real bad time because of this cliff with funneled enormous amounts of water. And so, as this came up on 4th of July, we had just bombed a country, Iran. And it's not the bombing of the country that shook me. It's what I believe Netanyahu and President Trump said. They said everybody in Tehran needs to get out now. And I saw on the news all the people leaving Tehran. And I was thinking, in my, in my heart, I was thinking, if there's a dirt, if there's dirty bombs in this country, he's letting them know, if you want to do this, you know, you just need to get out of Tehran. And when that happened, I knew. And I'm kind of a strange person. I'm, on my behaviors in my life and I attempt to do a lunar satellite Sabbath. And that lunar Sabbath hit on the 4th of July. And I knew that because of my age, this would be maybe the last time I get to do, a Sabbath, that type of Sabbath on the fourth of July. And our ancestors believed also when they made that holiday, called it fourth of July, it was a day of reverence to God and thankfulness for everything that happened in the Revolutionary War.
>> Don Hawkins: War, yeah.
>> Caroline: And, and not, not to be celebratory or, and there's a lot of sin that happens on the Guadalupe river in the summertime. people will remember the trip there for the rest of their lives. They only go there once. And so, that it is, you know, I was. And it won't be another, lunar sabbath on the 4th of July, I believe, till 2038. So when this happened, this catastrophic thing happened in my heart, I was saying to myself, I think this is a sign that we should be in reverence to God for what's about to happen in world history.
>> Don Hawkins: Well, you know, Ellis, you bring that subject up. The fact that originally, the 4th of July, the celebration on the Declaration of Independence. And Paul, you go back to the wording there. we were endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And a lot of people like to, you know, make out that many of those, founding fathers were Deists, but they had a great respect for almighty God, and many of them were genuine Christians. And. And, you know, we've lost to a great degree that sense of reverence. Your response to Ellis.
>> Paul Pettit: Well, it's. That's a difficult balance as well, because we're celebrating our independence, and we do want to be a free people, but we also need to remember our dependence upon God. we can't move or breathe or have our being without a dependence on God. So, yes, we're an independent country, but it's an independence to do our worship as we wish, our speech as we wish. So it's a great experiment in Liberty, over 250 years next year. But it is a responsibility, as well, that we need to take those freedoms and use them for the right reason. Reasons.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes. Very good. Let me, pray for you, Ellis. Lord, thank you for. Ellis, thank you for his call tonight, for his insights, his thoughts that he shared with us. Lord, I pray your blessing on him. And, Lord, I pray that his reminder that we need to be giving thanks and respect toward Almighty God is such an important part of the country we live in. And, Lord, many people have lost that vision. So we ask you. You, to even use this program to draw people back to that I pray in Jesus name. Amen. Ellis, thank you for calling us tonight.
>> Caroline: My reverence to the people, to the survivors.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes. Amen.
>> Caroline: They have my sympathy.
>> Don Hawkins: Well, we want to pray for them. And thank you for reminding us of that. We do want to encourage that tonight. Heavenly Father, I pray for those who lost loved ones in that disaster at Kerrville. Many of them still feeling that fresh grief and pain. Lord, I just ask you to wrap your loving arms around them, to let them know that you do care, that you are a good God, even though you're a sovereign God. And that living in a fallen world, these disasters will happen. But, Lord, help us to remember that we can trust in you. And I pray if anyone tonight listening needs to trust in you as Savior, they will make that decision to trust you this very night. And I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
>> Paul Pettit: Amen.
>> Don Hawkins: Our toll free number is 855-586-LIFE. That's 855-586-5433. You'll learn more about Dallas Theological Seminary DTS EDU. We'll be back with the rest of Encouragement Live.
Dallas Theological Seminary offers free encouragement after natural disasters
>> Toni King: Do you have an extra car taking up valuable space in your driveway? Let encouragement live. Take it off your hands. It's easy, free.
>> Paul Pettit: And you know they always say, where were the Christians? Where were the Christians? But when these disasters happen, the first groups that show up are Samaritan's Purse and the, Salvation Army. The Red Cross oftentimes 500 ride.
>> Toni King: That's 855500 ride.
>> Don Hawkins: Or encouragementlive.org what did Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah and Erwin Lutzer have in common? They all trained to preach God's Word at Dallas Theological. And you can train at DTS too. If you've been called to preach or teach God's word, find a degree or course that's right for you on one of our campuses or online at dts.edu Dallas Theological Seminary where they teach truth and love. Well, visit dts Edu.
The older people grow, the more important it is that they have savings
>> Jane: The older people grow, the more important it is that they have savings that are not at risk in the stock.
>> Don Hawkins: Here's an important warning from Roxanne Intermuel of his faithful stewards.com I've seen many.
>> Jane: People in their 50s that have all their savings still in a 401k or some other market based account that is fully at risk of loss.
>> Don Hawkins: Roxanne and her team offer practical financial counsel to people from all age groups.
>> Jane: It could be that they need to start saving for the future in retirement. Or maybe they've already done those things and they just need to be good managers of what God's given them and get their money to where it can grow well but won't be at risk of loss in the stock market market. Or maybe they need to get a will or a trust in place to protect their family from the cost and stresses of probate.
>> Don Hawkins: You can schedule a free and confidential time to talk with Roxanne at her website. His faithful stewards.com just follow the links on the website to set a good time to talk. Or you may call the office to set a time.
Paul: Christians are often first in line when disasters happen
That's his faithful stewards.com we were just talking during the break about the fact that Christians are the ones who show up probably first in line. Paul, when, disasters like Kerrville happen. you mentioned, men, Texas Men on Mission and Samaritan's Purse and Salvation army and others. And all those come as Christians in the name of Jesus Christ.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right.
>> Don Hawkins: To do not just, evangelism and discipleship, but to really get involved in people's lives.
>> Paul Pettit: The body of Christ in action. You know, the story of Franklin Graham is interesting. His father was Billy Graham, and he traveled over the whole world speaking in stadiums. He would speak to 60, 70, 80,000 people. Well, at the age of 25, 26, they said, well, maybe Franklin Graham will be the next Billy Graham. And he preached, and he was horrible. He did not have the gift of preaching. You know, that person that has the gift of preaching, but nobody has the gift of listening to him. You've heard of that. Well, guess what? What he did was behind the scenes, he watched that team set up those stadium events. Every time he was in the hotel, he would see the publicity man, the advance team, the, you know, food team. And guess what he did with his life. He went out and said, whenever there's a disaster, I want our group to be one of the first teams on site. And so he's a pioneer, Franklin Graham. He comes in with his truckloads of help, and he named his ministry not the Billy Graham Organization. He's not a worldwide evangelist, but he's called Samaritan's Purse. And they're the first Christian group that wants to show up when there's a hurricane or a flood or sometimes even a shooting. And they bring peace and comfort and real help to people that are hurting.
Paul: Some people are struggling with how to serve after the Texas disaster
>> Don Hawkins: You know, there's somebody else that you and I were talking about before the program tonight, Paul, and I want to be sure and get her story in. Joni eareckson. TADA suffered a terrible disaster, and you are holding up. I'm sure people on the radio are looking right now at the copy you're holding up of the book. Johnny. J O N I, tell us about her story. What happened?
>> Paul Pettit: Johnny was a young lady, young woman, who was full of life. And she was out swimming with friends out on a, hillside, and she dove into the lake and broke her neck and almost died. But she became a quadriplegic. And she said later that this type of event will either make you bitter or it'll make you better. And she wrestled with that and struggled with that and asked God, why did you allow this to happen? And then she started a ministry for people with disability called Joni and Friends.
>> Don Hawkins: Yeah, Wheelchairs for the world, Literally.
>> Paul Pettit: And they are doing amazing work all over the world. Joni paints with a tooth, a, paintbrush in her teeth, and is an amazing Artist, artist and has a radio ministry, a writing ministry. But God uses Joni Eareckson Tada all over the world. An unforgettable story. Joni Eareckson Tada who dove into a lake and broke her neck. But, didn't stop doing ministry. She said, I'm going to keep serving God and use my gifts in a new way.
>> Don Hawkins: Maybe some of you tonight are feeling like giving up because of a loss that you've suffered. maybe you were a part of the Camp mystic that, that suffered, that disaster. So many people there killed and you're struggling with the fact that, well, you know, how can I go on? How can I serve God Now, Johnny, Erickson, Tata can be an example to you and I'd encourage you look, on Amazon for a copy of that book, J O N I Johnny is how she spells it. And her story is inspiring. You can also look up Johnny and Friends Dog, learn more about that ministry. And that's a very worthwhile ministry. You know, Paul, in your article you mentioned the fact that Christ are typically the first to step in to help. and some people may be wondering, well, I'm not associated with any of those groups, is there something that I can do? what specific things, do you think there's still a need for volunteers maybe to, to cook food or provide groceries or maybe to operate a chainsaw with some of the debris that's still stacked up down there.
>> Paul Pettit: There's a group called Texans on Mission and they're a very powerful group that wants to come in right away also with hands on help. I would check with Texans on Mission also those well established groups. You got to watch out for scams nowadays. You got to watch out for fake GoFundMe. It's unbelievable in this world there's fake GoFundMe accounts. But check with the Salvation Army, a reputable group like that. The Salvation army or the one we just mentioned, Samaritan's Purse. So I would say use those well known, well vetted organizations and ask do they need help? Because at some of those spots they don't want volunteers on site. They're still actually in the recovery process of recovering bodies. And you can imagine some of the families want that closure, you know, to say that we were able to have a funeral. But you want to check with your local church, some are packing still supplies. your local church, your local, local organizations are best. And make sure it's a vetted, well documented organization that's not using some kind of scam.
>> Don Hawkins: Very important morning from Dr. Paul Pettit of Dallas Theological Seminary. And by the way, don't forget the free Bible study courses that are available from Dallas Seminary. The website courses, dts Edu. If you have a chance to jot that down, maybe save that address in your phone courses, dts Edu. There are a wide range of courses available. Paul.
Luke 13 contains five verses where Jesus addressed disasters
There's a passage of scripture I wanted to touch on. Luke 13, five verses where Jesus addressed disasters. Yes. two different kinds. One was the killing of Galileans by Pontius Pilate. Really an atrocity similar to some of the shootings that have taken place in churches today and in schools. and then the second was a natural disaster, disaster caused by the collapse of a tower. But Jesus had a very straightforward application to people about those two events.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right. You know, sometimes we have an incorrect theology, and that's a big word, but it's just the way we think about God. An incorrect theology. And we think, well, if I do good things, God will be good to me. You spend a lot of time in India.
>> Don Hawkins: Yes.
>> Paul Pettit: And you know, there's sort of a karma belief out there that says, well, if I'm good and I do good things, surely God will be good to me. Me. But God clarified their incorrect thinking and said, it rains on the just and the unjust. Good things can happen to bad people, and bad things can happen to good people. In this life. We're going to have difficulties, we're going to have trials. And Jesus was even in the garden of Gethsemane praying, God the Father, if there's some other way to let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless. And then some of the most beautiful words in all of scripture, nevertheless, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.
>> Don Hawkins: Amen.
>> Paul Pettit: And Jesus even demonstrates to us that bad things can happen. We can go through. He allows his children to go through times of suffering and testing and trial. Yeah, but we need to take that long range view that God works things out for our good eventually.
>> Don Hawkins: You know, Paul, some people struggling with depression in the aftermath of what happened there may think that depression is a sin. And I've actually heard pastors label depression a sin. And yet Jesus was the perfect sinless son of God. And two of the gospels point out that he was deeply depressed in the garden of Gethsemane. But he did three things while he was there. The first thing he did was he cried out to his Heavenly Father. He expressed his feelings and, spoke to his Father, the Second thing he did was he brought a few close friends along with him and they did fall asleep. Peter and James and John, they were asleep at the switch. But the reality was he did invite them to come home along. But the third thing was he made the choice to accept what God's will for him was. And he faced that with great courage. that would make a good passage of scripture. If you are struggling with depression tonight, to go back and look in the Gospels, Matthew and Mark and Luke, all three of those synoptic gospels we call them at the seminary. they're, they fit together very well. Well, but you can do that, and that would be a tremendous thing.
Paul: God sees what you're going through tonight, and he knows
you know, we talk about these tragedies that happened. The shooting of the church in Kentucky, plane crash in India that killed hundreds. Massive flooding that, ah, have killed scores in Pakistan. Flooding in many parts of our country have happened. Laos and Thailand and Korea right now. But, Paul, let's, shift gears for just a minute. Go back to something you mentioned earlier in the program. Talk about how this will all end for those of us who've trusted Christ and what we need to do to make sure we're in that good ending.
>> Paul Pettit: I like Psalm 11. I've been working on a project, on Psalm 11. And it starts out where the advisors for King David say, you need to flee, you need to move away. You need to go underground. And David says, why should I flee? He says, God is on the throne. God sees. And I love that phrase, God sees. And I know it's a deep topic, but I got a funny story for you. A Sunday school teacher set out a.
>> Don Hawkins: Bowl of apples, okay?
>> Paul Pettit: And she put out a sign next to them that said, take only one. God is watching you. Well, as the class was ending, the teacher set out a bowl of chocolate chip cookies. And one of the little boys said, hey, take all the cookies you want. God is watching the apples. And what's the lesson? What's the, the lesson? God sees.
>> Don Hawkins: God sees.
>> Paul Pettit: God, sees. He knows what you're going through, friend. He knows what you're experiencing right now. He's not distant and remote and far away. God sees what you're going through tonight, and he knows what you're going through. He's compassionate, he's good, he's benevolent. And he's also sovereign and in charge and on his throne.
>> Don Hawkins: Amen.
Paul Pettit: We want to pray for Edward Gonzalez tonight
Let's talk to Edward Listening in Texas tonight. Thank you for calling us, Edward. God ahead.
>> Caroline: How you doing, sir?
>> Don Hawkins: very well.
>> Caroline: My name is Edward Gonzalez. I don't know where to start. I know it's just what things that I've been going through the past, three years has been rough for me and my wife and, you know, family that I've been around. But, hey, God has been with us thousand percent.
>> Don Hawkins: Definitely.
>> Caroline: he's been with us.
>> Don Hawkins: When you go through hard times, those are the times that you really recognize that the Lord is with you. And I think sometimes, Paul, that it takes hard times to really sharpen our focus on our walk with the Lord.
>> Paul Pettit: That's right.
>> Don Hawkins: Sometimes when things are going smoothly. And Edward, you've probably seen this. We're not as concerned about the Lord. we're not as involved in local church. We're not as involved in, in sharing our faith in Christ with others. but those hard times that you've been through, and I know that you'd like for us to pray with you, and we are going to pray with you, but I really believe that, James, chapter one, where James says, consider it all joy when you fall into diverse testing, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
>> Paul Pettit: Yes.
>> Don Hawkins: And he says, let that endurance have its perfect work, that you may be complete and entire, not lacking in anything. And Paul, it seems to me that's a powerful thing. We have less than a minute to go, so I want to pray for everybody. Edward. Lord, we just want to ask you especially to bless Edward at this time. Encourage him. Thank you. That he could share with us tonight. Lord, I know he's going through many challenges as he mentioned to us. But Lord, may your hand rest on him. May he be drawn closer to you as a result of even tonight. In Jesus name, amen.
>> Paul Pettit: Amen.
>> Don Hawkins: Dr. Paul Pettit, thank you for joining us.
>> Paul Pettit: Thank you.
>> Don Hawkins: Don Want to again remind you folks to check out the website dts Edu. God may be calling you to vocational ministry. No better place to prepare or for the free courses at courses DTS Edu. Good night.
