M hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And listen, today is going to be one of my favorite days of the month with one of my favorite guests. I know we're not supposed to say that, that we have favorites, but sometime God just puts a vision in people's heart that catches fire. And this is a person who has really inspired me in so many different ways. And his vision to be a champion for the brokenhearted is something that really captured my heart the first time I heard about it. I am talking about none other than Nick Vujicic, Nick V. Nick V Ministries. And we are talking today about another group, and your opportunity to be a champion for the brokenhearted. If you've been following along, go listen to all the shows. If you've missed them, if you've been following along, you know that we are inviting you as part of your church to be a champion for the brokenhearted. And this is an important opportunity. This is an incredible curriculum that is here for you, free. You can also take a deeper step and become a champion. And you can take a class, you can take a course that will help you, that will equip you to provide lay ministry in, with a people who really need it, with people who really, really need Jesus. And so we've been talking about championing for the disabled, for the orphan, for the veteran. And today we are talking about the widow. Now before we jump into that, let me share with you that since the end of 2024, that's the end of last year, Nick V Ministries has achieved extraordinary Results with over 812 million people hearing the gospel and just over 1 million people, 1 million souls coming to Christ through in person events in 84 countries. And however, according to Nick, there are at least 4 billion people on earth who don't know Jesus. And his goal is to reach a billion more people by the year 2029. And if anybody's going to do it, I'm convinced that Nick could do it.
Over 11 million widows live in the United States
So today, like I told you, we are talking about the widow. And we our hearts towards this group that's often overlooked in churches. Did you know that over 11 million widows live in the United States? Almost 50% of women over the age of 65 will be widowed during their lifetime. And many of these widows, they bear this burden alone. They struggle with loneliness. They have practical needs like financial needs. They can also be spiritually disconnected. I remember very vividly one precious woman I've known almost my entire life, recently becoming widowed and walking out of church, after Sunday morning services. And I noticed that her shoulders were really slumped and she looked really sad. And I walked over to her and I said, are you okay? And she said, this is the hardest part of the week for me, is walking out alone, missing my husband, seeing all of the families, going to lunch together, and I'm going home to an empty house. She said, it's just hard to do. In James 1:27, Scripture tells us that religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress. And yet, too often, the church is falling silent in this calling. And it is time to reawaken that calling. So let's talk about how we can step up as the body of Christ and bring comfort and companionship and care to these beloved people of God who are experiencing loss.
Nick V Ministries is a champion for the brokenhearted
Nick, welcome back. We are so glad to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us again to share your heart, to be a champion for the brokenhearted.
>> Nick Vujicic: Thank you, Jessica, for having me back. It's wonderful to see you, and I'm really excited to talk about this topic. for those of you who don't know, we at Nick V Ministries, have a heart for many people of all different types of brokenness of their heart and their mind. And I just want you to know, my mother's a widow, and I know many, many men who've also lost their wives. And so everything that we talk through on this episode, I just want your listeners and the listeners here to remember that it's not just about the woman. It's also about the man. And, becoming a single parent sometimes really, really early on in life. And I just want you to know I'm so thankful, that we're having this, this interview today.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Nick, you've talked about how different people in the world, the different kinds of ways that we can experience suffering and pain. And you. And there are a lot I can't remember what is the number of ways that people can suffer? You've identified.
>> Nick Vujicic: Yeah, we started 106 different ways in how the human being can suffer list. I mean, quite a list by, by June. Hunt, who actually also had mutually exclusively 106. And she actually, though, wrote devotionals about every single one of them since 1980s. And we happened to meet and then found out God gave us the same basic, exact list. And so we've joined together with her ministry, Hope for the Heart with Nick V Ministries, to make Champions Ministries, where we really feel that there are a lot of people who go to church from week to week, don't really share how difficult it is from Monday to Saturday, and kind of not know how to engage with community about their brokenness. And I think that this is such a gap of churches leaving behind one on one counseling and the caregiver. champion training is, is. It's about caring for the souls in the heart of people all around the world.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, with 106 ways to suffer and looking at that, knowing the reality that we live in a broken world. But God has given us hope. He says that we don't grieve as a people who don't have hope and that even in this world that is broken, we can have, we can be, of good cheer. We can take heart. How did you choose with your team to include widows in? Just to go from all of these different ways of suffering, but to think, no, this is this important for the church to step in. How did widows get included in the Champions for the Brokenhearted? And where do you think the church is falling down on this?
>> Nick Vujicic: Yeah, look, thank you. sometimes it's just like, well, go to a support group if there is a support group. But we also felt like, you know, there are a lot of people who lose loved ones, their spouses, and they maybe can't afford counseling one on one. And so all this really stems back from m, when I needed counseling and we realized, wow, like there are so many people who just need to be heard, need to talk through what happened in your life. How did it make you feel? What else do you want to say about that and the way that the Holy Spirit use us as the church? you know, it's really important to make sure that we know that, yes, we need to reach out to the poor. Yes, we need to actually have an answer for the young people about bullying, suicidal thoughts, addictions. And you can go to our website and see so many different resources. but really we didn't see a central, like packaged, plug and play, if you will, for the person who has a church that doesn't have the one on one counseling. And, and we can actually train you to then go to, as a certified, trained person to go to the pastor and say, hey, I'm not asking you to start a group that doesn't exist. But I'm putting my hand up, here's my certification. My heart's for the widows. And, before the break, I don't know when the break's coming, but I just want everyone to be aware of the different videos that we do have right now for people who have lost a spouse. We have videos, in an ebook as well, Hope for the Widow ebook. So there's so many different, videos that I've [email protected] but the ebook we talk about grief, depression, identity and self image. loneliness, how to go from longing to belonging. you know, the doorway to heaven. What does that mean? The death in heaven and anchor that in, what is hope as a Christian? The four points of God's plan for you, God's purpose, your salvation. The problem that we all have is sin. God's provision for you the Savior, but to put our hearts in surrender and then allow him to heal us. And then a couple other things is, there's a couple interviews that I've done in the past and there's just so many different videos that anyone who knows someone who just lost a spouse where the church may not know what to really do and counsel. There's so many resources that you now can become the hands and feet of God in your local community and meet the need that is there.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You're right, Nick. There are so many resources on your website. And looking at this, I know because I've had people tell me personally in my own community, I have a heart to start a ministry for widows and widowers in my church. But I don't know where to start. Some of them, they need to start with the courage to go and talk to their pastor and say, God has given me a vision for this and you are giving them the tools. Like you said, plug and play to be able to go to your pastor, this might be your sign. So if you're out there listening and you feel like your heart has been burning to start this kind of ministry, and Nick is giving you this resource right into your hands that you can go and plug and play in your church. One of the things that really impressed me about the resources that you have, Nick, is that you partnered with a psychologist who wrote this curriculum and it is very evidence based, it is very high quality and looking at the need for mental health. First of all, there's so many widows and widowers who will be grieving, who will need mental health support, who will need counseling, who may not feel like they can say, I need that they may not feel like they know where to go, they may not feel like they can afford it. And this is a way for the layperson to step into that space and to be a bridge builder, to be a connector. So when looking at some of these resources on your website, you have a video interview with a woman named Rachel Faulkner Brown. She's a young widow. Because sometimes I think we have the misconception that widows and widowers are just old people. And that's not the truth. We see young families who are struck with tragedy. And she's a woman of faith. She's an author, and she talks about her video, her, her journey, and what God has done in her life. We see a video from you. We see a video from Kathi Lee Gifford, her I Am second video. Of course, she talked about losing her husband Frank. And she has been very public with that. So that is. Those things are so good. And you know, Nick, I think sometimes it's really uncomfortable to bear witness to someone else's pain. And losing a spouse, especially a spouse you love, you're close to, in a tragic circumstance, in an unexpected circumstance, or in old age, their grief and their loneliness and their heartbreak, it just stirs something really deep and uncomfortable within us. Maybe it reminds us of our own losses or we just feel helpless. We don't know what to say. We don't want to say something that's hurtful and we just pull back. Not because we don't care, but we just don't know what to say. But when we show up, even in silence, just being there, that is a biblical mandate to serve the widow. It's. I read the scriptures in that. What can you say about your experience? You've had so much experience bearing witness to your own pain and to others pain. How can you encourage people to step into the uncomfortableness that they might feel in that?
>> Nick Vujicic: You know, I know that as we, have 19 million social media fans, and knowing that there's so many people who go through difficulties that I'll never understand losing, my spouse today, to me it would be, exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ever imagine. In a bad way. I, know where heaven is. I know that we're good and we're good, but if, if, if, if, if her heart stopped right now, you know, I know God's grace is sufficient. There's a lot of things in my head that I would know. That doesn't stop you, though, from being a human being with human feelings. And we're all In a different journey of going through those emotions in different devastating tragedies. Like you said, whether it's expected or not expected, we all have to grieve through different things. And for me personally, I had one of my best friends die in a car accident. and his his spouse at the time, who they had a baby together, just had her ex husband die of leukemia within five years. So she actually had two husbands, a son each and within five years lost twice.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Nick, that is so sad. And you asked about the break and we are at the break and such unfortunate timing. But don't go away because when we come back, I know that Nick is going to provide the hope in that. This is Nick. It amazes me to see the level of human suffering that you have seen and to see the grief that comes from that. I can't imagine losing two spouses and seeing, seeing that happen. What do we do about it? Don't go away. On the other side of this break, we're going to to tell you more about how you can be the hands of feet in Christ in your church and respond, go to nickvministries.org that's nickvministries.org and we'll tell you more. Don't go away. We'll be right back.
Because of listeners like you, Preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies
Because of listeners like you, PreBorn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies. Your $28 to sponsor one ultrasound doubled a baby's chance at life. Your tax- deductible gift saves lives. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com/AFR Will you take a moment and celebrate life with me? Last year PreBorn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies from abortion. Hi, this is Jessica Peck, host of the Dr. Nurse Mama show and I want to thank you for your partnership. Think about what you did. 67,000 babies are taking their first breath now because of you. Your $28 sponsored one ultrasound that was given to a woman as she was deciding about the future of her child. Once she saw her precious baby for the first time and heard their sweet heartbeat, her baby's chance at life doubled. But preborn's mission is not only to rescue babies lives but also to lead women to Christ. Last year PreBorn network clinic saw 8,900 women receive salvation. Your help is crucial to continue their life saving work. Your caring tax- deductible donation saves lives. So please be generous. To donate, go to preborn.com/AFR, that's preborn.com/AFR afr or dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby, your love can save a life. Preborn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year Preborn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers. Come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com/AFR.
>> Sound Of Heaven by Tasha Layton featuring Chris McClarney: Come have your way Would you move in power Turn every heart to you. We. Are desperate for what only you can do Come have your way Come have your way Come have your way Come have your way Bring the sound of heaven Let your mighty wind come rushing through Lord, our hearts are open with the saints and angels we sing to you Come have your way Come have your way Come have your way.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Sound of Heaven by Tasha Layton featuring Chris McClarney. And that is the cry of our heart Today we are asking God for the sound of heaven. We are asking him to have his way, his perfect way. On In a world that is imperfect.
Nick Vujicic shares his initiative called Champions for the Brokenhearted
Today we are so grateful to have back with us Nick Vujicic with Nick V ministries. Go to nickvministries.org and you can learn all about the wonderful things that he does all the world. This is a man who was born without arms or leg, who legs, who has made it his life mission to be the hands and feet of Christ. Nick has shared his own personal story and we're sharing with you today his initiative called Champions for the Brokenhearted. This is a curriculum that he is offering for your church, for a lay ministry to minister to people who are hurting. And those people we're focusing on today are those who have lost their spouses, widows and widowers. And he when someone loses their spouse, their entire world shifts. It will never be the same as it was. And yes, healing is possible, but it's never going to be the same. And that grief is something that they will carry with them and steward for a lifetime, something that won't be fixed this side of heaven. And as their world shifts a lot of times, so does their place in the church. What if they're in a life group? That's for married couples. What do they do? If they're known as an identity, where do they go? How does that change? What about their ministry? And While First Timothy 5 outlines specific ways that the early church cared for widows, many modern congregations today don't know where to begin and don't have a specific ministry for widows, for widowers. And we are talking today about how do we open Our eyes and hearts to the pain that can be right there in our pews. And discuss this biblical mandate to care for those who have lost their spouses.
Nick Vujicic shares heartbreaking story about losing his best friend
And before the break, Nick, you were telling us a really heartbreaking story about losing your best friend. And I'm so, so, so sorry that you experienced that. And you were telling us about the experience of his wife. And so I'll let you take it from there.
>> Nick Vujicic: M. Yeah. Look, it's all about understanding that we all go through suffering. God allows us to go through suffering. We're not in heaven yet where there will be no suffering there. But, God's grace is sufficient. Carries us when we cannot walk. and we can hold on to the promises of God. But that doesn't make you always feel better at all. and so understanding that there are extreme tragedies, and unexpected losses, or expected, if you will, for health. A loss is a loss. Brokenness is brokenness. And for me, being born without limbs, I prayed for a miracle. I realized when I don't get a miracle, I can still be one. And for those of us who have seen the other side of tragedy and found triumph, in understanding that when I don't get a miracle, I can still now be a miracle for another limbless boy. I always tell people that I'll never understand your pain. But if you do hold on to God and you do get counseling and your heart eventually becomes healed, it doesn't mean that it feels the same again. nothing will ever replace what's missing now. the feelings of that. It's grieving, it's mourning. Deep, deep, unspeakable things. And how God has designed us. that we do love hard, and then we miss hard. and you'll just never get over some of those things in life. That on this side of earth, we. We question God's faithfulness. but to understand that if God allows me to go through something and then I do survive, and then encourage one other widow to let them know hope hasn't flown away. Heaven is real. You don't have to walk through this alone. I think our mentality, our community, in. In wanting to engage eventually, once you're stable, that's all. Something else later on that only someone going through that lust can coach you on. But the first thing is first, your heart to survive. And sometimes you just need to talk to somebody who knows what they've been through or has sympathy and empathy for you. Just because that's my heart for these people. My mom Was a widow since X amount of years. And that's my passion now. If I can just help one other mom, not just isolate and kind of lose that spark entirely to live. If I can help one more person. Man, when you know that when you're affecting someone, you're affecting someone else because that's someone else's mother, that's someone else's sister, that someone else's daughter. and I, I've buried 10 people, in the last 10 years. We've had a lot of loss, and four of them were under the age of 41. Cancer, car crashes, period. to lose anyone is so hard, but especially your spouse. It's very different than losing a kid. And you again, cannot compare this, but it's just different. And so what we want to do is because, my dad was a pastor, Jessica, and people come up and say, hey Pastor, I suggest this, let's do this. And my dad said, good, do it. And so we are able to equip it and not just put everything on the burden on the shoulders of the pastor, but start at least a small group to discuss and then see if anyone does need one on one counseling. You might be actually saving one person's life or their soul or their whole family. And so if you've ever doubted that God can ever use you, I'm, here without limbs to let you know that if God can use a man without arms and legs to be his hands and feet, to affect one soul, then so can you. And it's all about time, dedication, passion and a calling and then equipping. And this is where we play that part. We can help your local community church not wait for the churches to do something. But you're the church. Be the church and then allow the churches to extend that program from the pulpit and mention it. Whether it's veterans, the poor, the bullied, the disabled. We also have this for the widows and widowers.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, just like you, Nick. I don't know what it is, but this is a season of loss. I have been to more funerals in the last two years than I've been into in my whole life. I, I don't know exactly how many, but it's way more than a dozen. I just like we are just in a season of lost and we have had a very up close front row seat to people losing their spouses in the most painful, tragic, unfair circumstances. And it is really just been on my heart because I think about this response and you know, as people lose their spouses, usually that response right away is there. People know what to do. Especially if you're like me from the south, we bring food, we're like, okay, we're going to overload you your refrigerator with casseroles and, and you know, they know the kind of those things to do. But this isn't something that is fixed quickly. It's not like it's a month. And we kind of move on with our lives because our day to day normal hasn't been disrupted like theirs has been just shaken from its very axis. And I think that's important for churches to step into that, to step into that long time, that long term journey. Churches generally, the people will respond immediately. But walking with them for of that healing journey is important. And I talked earlier, Nick, about what I see is sometimes people just kind of back up because they don't want to say anything wrong. I remember one friend in particular who lost her husband and you just, you kind of don't want to mention it because you know it's such a source of pain. But I remember one day talking to her and I said her husband's name and she stopped me immediately. She. And I kind of froze because I thought, oh no, did I do something wrong? She had the biggest smile on her face, Nick. And she just said, you just gave me the gift of his presence. You just gave me the gift of reminding me that his memory and his legacy moves, lives on. Tell me all the things I want to know. All of the memories that you have. I want the gift of his presence. And that may be different for everyone, but sometimes we don't because we don't want to cause pain or we don't want to witness pain. But sometimes, Nick, we make this more about ourselves than we make it about them. And all of a sudden like, oh, this is a pop quiz. Do I know the right scripture to say? Do I the right wise thing to say? And we just start to make it more about our performance than their pain. How does your curriculum step into that and equip them so that people won't have these fears of. I don't want to say the wrong thing. How does this help them to know how to step in and say what's right?
>> Nick Vujicic: Yeah, look, please go to the website and get a taste and a preview of what it kind of looks like. it is obviously something that we hold with a lot of fear and trembling and excellent stewardship and as you said, having first class psychologists, Christian psychologists. And this was really stemming from a point of many Christian psychologists out There not being employed by Christian entities where Jesus is a swear word. And then when we look at the church and needing that one on one, you know, there are some times we're like, well, what if. What if the widow or the widower and their spouse committed suicide? Are they going to heaven? you know, there are some hard questions that do come up, and we want you to be prepared in any and every kind of question along the way in a support system. We're here to support you with any Q and A that you might need with us as a team. But really, it comes from the point where, Jessica, we are. We're made out of our soul, our spirit, and our mind. Sure. but we also have a lot of Christians who were verbally abused as a kid, sexually abused whenever, never, accepted, addicted to something. and no one actually has just stopped and said, hey, how are you? How are you feeling? And sometimes we feel like, well, no one's really suffering. I know that person's a widow or a widower, but they seem like they're doing, okay. But to actually sit down. I want you to know that there are more people who need this material and we've equipped you here than you think. No one ever thought that Nick Vujicic needed counseling in 2021. Guess what? Nick Vujicic went through 10 years of, 10 hours of counseling as I talked about 20 years of my life that I actually never really talked about it through. And, you know, every pain is different. Everyone's different. But we all need someone to walk with us along our side and just be. Don't be quick to assume faith leaders that putting them in a group once a week is enough. And when you know the depths of what a broken heart is and you know how it feels that, you know you're saved, you know the Bible, but your heart is bleeding on the way to the grave, you know there's something more, you know, that the Holy Spirit doesn't want you to suffer like this. You have questions. Where was God? we want to help you understand all those answers that we could basically back up everything that we share, biblically in most questions that will ever come come. and. And. And we're not pretending to be a magic wand or a formula, but it's really becoming. The church that we believe has drifted away from the main calling. It's the. The hunger to know that everyone around me is okay, as much as I can help them. Sure. Yeah. I. We had a. A, death experience in our church two weeks ago. the church helped the funeral costs, but also the church knew what one on one counseling was. And we're thankful we can go to a church that has this, to walk the family through, counsel the kids as well. and so not a lot of churches have that capability of doing that, nor knowing the importance. And you can't change everyone's heart. You can't change everyone's mind. You can't. It's God. God. But not everyone is there, to sometimes make the best decisions. But at least we can offer a hand to try and meet them where they're at. And, maybe you're looking for a side kind of, I'm not going to say a hustle, but a way to give back to the Lord. And I'll tell you when you're depressed and you just have a listening ear to someone and you meet with them weekly and you know they're a safe place. I'm just going to tell you right now, real counseling and this program saves people's lives and you can be a part of someone's life being saved. And heart healed.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Nick went. So much good wisdom and what you have to say. And we're coming up on our second break here, but when we come back, I'm going to go out on a limb.
You talked about the declining role of the church in modern America
I'm going to invite you to preach a little bit on something I've heard you talk about, that you just hinted about a little bit here and that the declining role of the church in modern America, how we have really let our influence decrease as government programs have taken the role of things that were previously done by the church. So when we come back, I want to talk to you about that and how we can really lean into the ministry to live with the people that we live with. You talked about, you know, we talk about life groups all the time as a church and doing life with people. And sometimes doing life with people means bearing witness to the, the end of the lives of the people they love. And if we're not equipped to do this, we're walking in community with people. I've heard you describe it as, you know, people walk in and the pastor says, hey, how was Johnny's surgery? Hey, how's the dog doing? Is the, is the horse feeling better? Whatever it is in that community? But when we lose that personalization, when we lose that, that immediate response of someone who was walking along with us, doing life with us, as I believe God intended, then we lose a little something. When we come back, we'll ask about that. I also Want to ask you about the movie coming out, about your life. Nick. This is such exciting news and I hope everyone will mark their calendars. Go to nickvministries.org find out how you can be a champion for the brokenhearted. Like I am sitting here today. And if that is you, you have had a ministry for people who have lost their spouses, for widows and widowers. This is your sign, friend. God orchestrated this for you. We'll have more hope and help.
Dr. John Oswalt talks about the God who speaks in the Bible
On the other side of this break.
>> Dr. John Oswalt: Here'S Dr. John Oswalt from the American Family Studios documentary, the God who Speaks. One of the remarkable things about the God of the Bible is that he is a God who speaks. The writers of the Bible again and again talk of him as the living God. And when they do, they include. This idea that the idols are dumb, they cannot speak language, is an incredible mystery, really. What is it that makes human beings beings able to communicate in word? Personally, I think that is the image of God in us, because God speaks. Right at the beginning of the Bible, God spoke the world into existence. It did not somehow evolve from his body. It was something that he spoke. Visit thegodwhospeaks.org.
>> Promises by Maverick City Church: God of Abraham, you're the God of covenant. Faithful promises. Time, and time again you have proven you do just what you said. Though the storms may come and the winds may blow I'll remain and let my heart learn when you speak a word it will come to pass Great is your faithfulness to me Great is your faithfulness to me from from the rising sun to the setting same I will praise your name Great is your faithfulness to me.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That song is Promises by Maverick City Church. And you know, I remember one time in particular where I was traveling for work and I received some really devastating news of something that was really hard. And I fell to my knees. I was so devastated by what I had heard. And I played this song, promises, and I started playing it and playing it as my friend, Darlene Zschech says I played it until I believed it, that God, his faithfulness was great to me no matter those circumstances. And that is what we're talking about today. We live in a world that is deeply broken, and of that we have brokenhearted people. But God has raised a champion and Nick Vujicic, Nick V Ministries. I have been so just absolutely encouraged and inspired by Nick's vision and his heart to be a champion for the brokenhearted. And today he is here as part of our series that we're doing for a whole Year. He is partnering with us once a month to talk about one of these groups and opportunities for you to be a champion for the brokenhearted. If you've missed it, go back and listen to every episode. There may be a calling that God has on your life to step up in your church to provide a ministry for someone who is brokenhearted. Nick is here to equip you to do that.
Many churches unintentionally neglect this sacred responsibility for widows, Nick says
Today we're talking about the widows, the widowers. And the Bible is filled with God's tender concern for widows. He defends them, he provides them, and he commands us to do the same. Psalm 68:5 calls God a defender of widows. Isaiah 1:17 urges us to plead the cause of the widow. But today, many churches unintentionally neglect this sacred responsibility. And we see widows often face a steep decline in emotional support and social connection and even economic stability. And one study that I saw said that within six months of their spouse's death, over 60% of widows show signs of clinical, diagnosable, debilitating depression. The need is great, but so is the hope. And today, Nick is here with us today to explore a practical way that the church can embody the heart of God and become sanctuaries of healing and honor for these people. So, Nick, first of all, before we jump into that, I want to know about the movie, about your life. You've shared a little bit of your testimony here. You've shared it in depth before. How amazing is it going to be to see it come on the big screen? Can you tell us when and where to be watching for this?
>> Nick Vujicic: Thank you, Jessica. since the last interview, we've unfortunately delayed, to 2026, the screening, but it was going to be in every single cinema theater, possible on a conventional box office release, thanks to Fathom Entertainment, that's Cinemach, AMC and Regal. And, we know that this documentary is a really, really great documentary. Want to make it the best it can be. And the timing of such. We really also want to engage young people with this like never before. So we're actually reverse engineering almost Bible studies, based on the lessons that we can learn from Nick Vujicic life. But it's basically how God can use a man without arms and legs to be his hand, hands and feet. God can use any willing heart. What does it look like when terrible things happen? Where is the love of God when you pray for a miracle and the miracle doesn't happen? How can you console that in your mind? And so it's called no limbs, no limits. It's coming out in 2026 and all updates are going to be up on the website nickvt.com you can check out the trailer today and join us along that journey and get ready for an incredible release in 2026. So no limbs, no limits. Go to nickvteam.com well, the best things.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Come to those who wait. And I would not make any sort of in comparison, Nick, but I think about even the movie Top Gun that was delayed right during the pandemic and the enormous success it was. And I can only imagine what God can do with a message such as yours. That way exceeds any other fict message. This is real life and you have dedicated your life to serving others. I wrote this down because I think actually I'm going to laminate it and put it right here on my desk. Nick, when I don't get a miracle, I can still be a miracle. I think that's amazing. And I told you I was going to invite you to preach. So in our last segment here and our last few minutes together, I'm going to give you the pulpit and you can preach whatever message God put on your heart to awaken the church. The church is sleepy and as I said, has been declining and we need to awaken the church. I know you have such a heart for the church. What message do you have to awaken a sleeping giant?
>> Nick Vujicic: Look, I just was reading revelations with my 12 year old son and the seven letters to the churches always started with a little bit of encouragement and then a slap in the face. And the slap is like, and if you don't repent, you got a problem. A ah, big problem. And a 12 year old understands it. And so first and foremost, church. We're thankful for where we're at. I want to speak to the American church here, the United States. We must be very, very thankful, for what we've been given. And the church must, must be the church I love. James 1:27. this is the church. There shouldn't be any church that, that kind of doesn't get equipped to receive a family who has a disability, a family member affected with a disability or someone coming out of prison. And the church kind of like, well, we got to keep that person kind of like at arm's length, length. We can pay for that for that widow or that widower. But you know, there's only so much we can do, you know, not, you know, the pastor can't counsel everyone. Unfortunately we have been called to be Christians in a light and darkened World, not just to help a few, but the entire world. And I really believe that when you have thoughts of suicide and depression, depression and clinical studies where the heart, mind, and circumstances actually affect your health way more than we think, what if we can actually let the church be the church and do all that we can to equip those people who are passionate about something? If you're a faith leader or a pastor, hear me very clearly. There's 1% of your church members that go there regularly who are called 1% to reach the lost, 1% to reach the disabled, 1% to reach the bullied, 1% to reach the suicidal, the depressed, the addicted. They have that calling. But we've never actually said, hey, church, if you have a passion for this, this, this, this, and this, here's a certification within that expertise given by Nick V Ministries. We've looked at it, we vetted it, and it is really, really good. And then the church says, hey, church, if you want to be part of the church ministry to help us extend that, okay, great. We have this missions trip. We have that missions trip. The greatest mission field is here, here in our, own church. It's not about just coming to church. If your whole goal in church is to get more people to church, church, you failed. It's about having people meet Jesus where they're at and the people that don't come to church. So your history is his story. And you have a story and a testimony. Allow God to use you. Pray. there's so much suffering in the world, and there's so much distraction. I'm just asking. Church members these days watch the news less, talk about the news and politics less. And can we come together on the common denominator that we are called by God to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free. What does that look like? Does your Gen Z person have anyone to talk to about their pornographic addiction? Does your church have counseling for the suicidal? think about the widows and widowers of veterans, and they're veterans themselves. We don't know exactly how to equip the church to reach veterans. Well, we've made veterans as one topic for champions of the brokenhearted. Tons of resources. There are ministries out there, but how do we bring it all in a package for the church, church to then be equipped, send them out. So please, church, wake up. Please understand. But I hope you were a little bit encouraged. But at the same time, if we ain't helping the widow and we ain't visiting the poor and helping them and the sick, and the prisoner. I don't know if you're going to get to heaven because that's the report card. It's not about church growth and how many people follow you or put a pastor at a pedestal. Gosh, you might, you might see some bad days ahead. But be the church, help people to be the church. That's why Gen Z is like, well, who's the real leader? Well, are they leading it without equipping it? And can I just encourage youth passes this actually, we haven't got any traction on this, Jessica, to tell you the truth. I'm doing these interviews, we're telling people it's not going anywhere. And, and I actually, I'm having a. The next meeting I have is a pow wow with the team. I think we need to pivot. I think we need to actually, actually talk to the young people to be the young people in the youth pastors because everyone's kind of like, well, I don't know. And I can't volunteer my time because I'm too busy. What if we could pivot the model? So pray for us, Jessica, because it's the best program out there that you can ever find. But this, the church is kind of just self preservation busy. We can barely get to church, let alone volunteer our time. And I think we need to start focusing in on those people that actually do have a lot of time. Maybe they're older, they want to help the church don't know even how to help the people who've retired. What do we do with them? I think that there's so many things missing. We haven't found the solution. Solution. And two things I think the Lord really weeps over. We've absolutely lost compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters. Forget about the lost. We really don't care as much. And it sucks. And second thing is we are going to be so harshly judged in this country century. We've been given the most and arguably done the least. And so that's what we're wanting the church to wake up in. And it's heavy and that's what we carry. How does the church wake up? I don't think the church actually believes with world changes anymore. Naturally the results could show that. So then who are the world changes? How do you change the world, Jessica? One soul at a time. Where do you go to the broken? How do you do it one at a time? So we're excited but man are we praying for wisdom because we are eating bricks through a wall that's 12 foot wide. We don't know how to wake up the church.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, Nick, I feel the heaviness of this moment. And you and I have had conversations about, about the lack of uptake and just the, the apathy that is there. And it is really, really hard. But I am encouraged by your faithfulness, your faithfulness to continue to carry the message of the gospel. So I ask you, if you're listening, would you pray for Nick? Would you pray for his ministry? We need to wake up in a world where there is a prowling lion who was roaring, who was seeking to devour us. We know this, but we also know that we are more than conquerors. That is straight from Romans 8. And that is something that is convicting to me. And so I pray that you would pray and ask the Lord what he would have you to do then. We can't just live in this world where we're just consumers of church. What's the church that ministers to me? What's the music I like? Do I like the pastor? Do I like the people? Do I like the parking? We think about these things. Open. Open your eyes and ask how God would use you as a miracle in someone's life. And as we close specifically today, caring for widows. It's not just a kind gesture. This is a biblical mandate, a direct call from the heart of God. And in a world that often just moves on too quickly, the church is called to slow down, to be present, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who greet alone. Today you have heard an urgent call from a man who was born with no hands or feet. Ah, but he has still found a way to be the hands and feet of Jesus. If your church doesn't yet have a ministry for widows, maybe God is stirring something in you. And I encourage you to go to nickvministries.org and pray about what God would have you do. We can be that generation. And maybe it will be Gen Z, Nick, that answers the call that we can be there. I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of. The American Family association or American Family Radio.
