1
00:00:08,165 --> 00:00:13,525
Speaker 1: Life audio. Well, two weeks into the tenure of the

2
00:00:13,605 --> 00:00:16,005
Speaker 1: new Guy, I got called in on a Friday afternoon

3
00:00:16,485 --> 00:00:18,885
Speaker 1: and the new guy told me, he said, you are

4
00:00:18,925 --> 00:00:21,485
Speaker 1: the worst person I've ever seen on TV. I don't

5
00:00:21,485 --> 00:00:23,204
Speaker 1: know who thought this was a good idea, but you're

6
00:00:23,285 --> 00:00:25,205
Speaker 1: never going to make it in this business.

7
00:00:31,645 --> 00:00:35,005
Speaker 2: Hey, everybody, I'm here with my friend Shannon Breen. If

8
00:00:35,005 --> 00:00:38,004
Speaker 2: you watch Fox News, she's a familiar face to you.

9
00:00:38,885 --> 00:00:43,284
Speaker 2: She has her own show on Sundays called Fox News Sunday.

10
00:00:43,445 --> 00:00:47,525
Speaker 2: She's the chief legal correspondent to the Supreme Court on

11
00:00:47,644 --> 00:00:52,205
Speaker 2: behalf of Fox News. She's a proud graduate of Liberty University.

12
00:00:52,604 --> 00:00:55,205
Speaker 2: Shannon began her career as an attorney but felt drawn

13
00:00:55,245 --> 00:00:59,965
Speaker 2: to journalism and now has a very successful career and

14
00:01:00,005 --> 00:01:02,965
Speaker 2: also as a brand new book out that is called

15
00:01:03,045 --> 00:01:07,165
Speaker 2: Nothing Is Impossible with God. So, Shannon, someone might look

16
00:01:07,165 --> 00:01:09,045
Speaker 2: at you and think, oh, Shannon, you know, she just

17
00:01:09,405 --> 00:01:13,365
Speaker 2: has it all, a successful career, a wonderful marriage. But

18
00:01:13,525 --> 00:01:17,205
Speaker 2: yet you have had to deal with chronic pain in

19
00:01:17,245 --> 00:01:20,965
Speaker 2: your life, and it was so painful you described it

20
00:01:21,084 --> 00:01:24,605
Speaker 2: as ten out of ten, and you weren't able to

21
00:01:24,605 --> 00:01:27,285
Speaker 2: get any help from doctors, and finally you found a

22
00:01:27,325 --> 00:01:32,325
Speaker 2: doctor that correctly diagnosed what your real condition was, but

23
00:01:32,444 --> 00:01:34,444
Speaker 2: actually what your real condition is.

24
00:01:34,645 --> 00:01:37,925
Speaker 1: Right, you are right, and listen. It's one of those

25
00:01:37,965 --> 00:01:40,685
Speaker 1: things I wouldn't have chosen. You probably have things like

26
00:01:40,725 --> 00:01:43,084
Speaker 1: this in your life too. You would not wish them

27
00:01:43,125 --> 00:01:46,645
Speaker 1: on your worst enemy. But I learned so much through

28
00:01:46,645 --> 00:01:49,005
Speaker 1: it and grew so much spiritually. First of all, it

29
00:01:49,005 --> 00:01:52,045
Speaker 1: made me a much more empathetic person. And I really

30
00:01:52,125 --> 00:01:53,685
Speaker 1: got to such a point in my life where I

31
00:01:53,725 --> 00:01:57,005
Speaker 1: had to completely rely on the Lord. That was literally

32
00:01:57,045 --> 00:01:59,645
Speaker 1: the only thing I was clinging to with him, because

33
00:02:00,125 --> 00:02:02,645
Speaker 1: I went through this couple of years with this diagnosis,

34
00:02:02,685 --> 00:02:05,725
Speaker 1: these you know, terrible eye pain that went on and

35
00:02:05,765 --> 00:02:08,285
Speaker 1: on and on, trigger migraines and double vision, and I

36
00:02:08,325 --> 00:02:10,965
Speaker 1: was hiding it from everyone in my life, my family,

37
00:02:11,045 --> 00:02:13,925
Speaker 1: everybody at work. My husband living with me obviously was

38
00:02:13,965 --> 00:02:16,325
Speaker 1: the only person who knew exactly what I was going through.

39
00:02:16,805 --> 00:02:20,045
Speaker 1: But I got from doctor to doctor without luck, and

40
00:02:20,165 --> 00:02:22,165
Speaker 1: I was feeling very discouraged. I gave up on the

41
00:02:22,165 --> 00:02:24,365
Speaker 1: medical profession for a while and just kept living in

42
00:02:24,405 --> 00:02:28,445
Speaker 1: this enormous amount of pain, and I finally came to

43
00:02:28,485 --> 00:02:30,685
Speaker 1: a place where I had been searching online, which I

44
00:02:30,685 --> 00:02:34,405
Speaker 1: always tell people, only half jokingly, don't research your medical

45
00:02:34,405 --> 00:02:37,165
Speaker 1: issues online because you're going to find that you don't

46
00:02:37,165 --> 00:02:39,045
Speaker 1: have much time to live. You're going to find the

47
00:02:39,125 --> 00:02:42,285
Speaker 1: worst case scenarios. But what I did find was a

48
00:02:42,365 --> 00:02:45,405
Speaker 1: discussion room or chat room or group where people were

49
00:02:45,405 --> 00:02:48,485
Speaker 1: talking about the same symptoms and just the despair that

50
00:02:48,525 --> 00:02:51,365
Speaker 1: they were in being turned away from emergency rooms and

51
00:02:51,485 --> 00:02:54,205
Speaker 1: doctors who could not help them. And I thought, these

52
00:02:54,205 --> 00:02:56,245
Speaker 1: are my people. I'm going to find some answers here.

53
00:02:56,285 --> 00:02:58,725
Speaker 1: But what I found were, you know, in some cases,

54
00:02:58,765 --> 00:03:02,325
Speaker 1: people who were so despondent they wanted to end their lives.

55
00:03:02,365 --> 00:03:04,485
Speaker 1: And at that point, nearly a couple years into this,

56
00:03:04,605 --> 00:03:08,445
Speaker 1: for me, it didn't sound crazy because I thought to myself,

57
00:03:08,605 --> 00:03:11,325
Speaker 1: I don't know how much longer I can go on

58
00:03:11,485 --> 00:03:13,925
Speaker 1: with this. God knows the enormous pain that I'm now

59
00:03:13,965 --> 00:03:17,445
Speaker 1: in physically, emotionally, mentally. I couldn't sleep because of this pain.

60
00:03:17,525 --> 00:03:20,445
Speaker 1: So I was, you know, exhaustion just exaggerates everything else

61
00:03:20,485 --> 00:03:23,605
Speaker 1: you're struggling with. And I just had to have a

62
00:03:23,605 --> 00:03:25,765
Speaker 1: heart to heart with Sheldon, my husband, and say, like,

63
00:03:25,845 --> 00:03:27,765
Speaker 1: this is how dark this is gotten for me. I

64
00:03:27,845 --> 00:03:31,285
Speaker 1: don't know if I can continue and we sat on

65
00:03:31,285 --> 00:03:33,125
Speaker 1: the bed and prayed, and I thought so much of

66
00:03:33,165 --> 00:03:35,725
Speaker 1: Two Corinthians twelve, where Paul had asked the Lord to

67
00:03:35,805 --> 00:03:39,005
Speaker 1: take that thorn from him and it wasn't going it anywhere,

68
00:03:39,365 --> 00:03:41,765
Speaker 1: and the Lord said, you know, my grace is made perfect,

69
00:03:41,885 --> 00:03:44,725
Speaker 1: My strength is made perfect in your weakness. And Paul says,

70
00:03:44,765 --> 00:03:47,285
Speaker 1: therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my

71
00:03:47,325 --> 00:03:50,125
Speaker 1: weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me. And

72
00:03:50,205 --> 00:03:53,365
Speaker 1: I just clung to those verses and I prayed that night, Lord,

73
00:03:53,405 --> 00:03:55,525
Speaker 1: if you're not going to heal me, then I have

74
00:03:55,605 --> 00:03:58,165
Speaker 1: to accept that answer. But please send me to someone

75
00:03:58,205 --> 00:03:59,845
Speaker 1: who can help me. And that's how I found this

76
00:03:59,925 --> 00:04:04,485
Speaker 1: fantastic doctor who finally diagnosed me started treatment with me,

77
00:04:04,845 --> 00:04:07,925
Speaker 1: and that first visit was really difficult to his office

78
00:04:08,005 --> 00:04:10,725
Speaker 1: because I felt the first bits of hope in almost

79
00:04:10,725 --> 00:04:13,885
Speaker 1: two years, and having that conversation where he knew and

80
00:04:13,925 --> 00:04:16,164
Speaker 1: could describe to me exactly what was happening with me.

81
00:04:16,285 --> 00:04:19,005
Speaker 1: But he said, this is a genetic condition and you

82
00:04:19,085 --> 00:04:21,645
Speaker 1: need to know there's no cure for it, and that's

83
00:04:22,045 --> 00:04:25,605
Speaker 1: felt like the ultimate gut punch. I left there in

84
00:04:25,725 --> 00:04:28,605
Speaker 1: tears in my car, sobbing to the Lord, how can

85
00:04:28,645 --> 00:04:30,885
Speaker 1: this be thank you for bringing me to this person,

86
00:04:30,925 --> 00:04:33,645
Speaker 1: but how can this be the news and feeling that

87
00:04:33,765 --> 00:04:36,605
Speaker 1: he just said to me, not audibly, but unmistakably in

88
00:04:36,645 --> 00:04:40,165
Speaker 1: my spirit, I will be with you. And that was

89
00:04:40,285 --> 00:04:43,805
Speaker 1: so true, and it gave me the courage to keep going.

90
00:04:43,885 --> 00:04:46,724
Speaker 1: One doctor visited a time, treatment at a time, eventually

91
00:04:46,765 --> 00:04:49,005
Speaker 1: to a surgery. That's as close as you can get

92
00:04:49,045 --> 00:04:52,165
Speaker 1: to a cure. And it's been enormous and blessing. And

93
00:04:52,165 --> 00:04:53,845
Speaker 1: so when I see that doctor, always tell him you're

94
00:04:53,845 --> 00:04:56,565
Speaker 1: my answer to prayer. He kind of laughs a little

95
00:04:56,605 --> 00:04:59,645
Speaker 1: bit nervously sometimes, but I want him to know that's

96
00:04:59,645 --> 00:05:00,125
Speaker 1: the truth.

97
00:05:00,845 --> 00:05:03,925
Speaker 2: You know what Jesus said to the disciples, get them both,

98
00:05:04,045 --> 00:05:07,125
Speaker 2: let's go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

99
00:05:07,605 --> 00:05:10,125
Speaker 2: And of course a great storm came and they began

100
00:05:10,205 --> 00:05:13,365
Speaker 2: to panic, but he was on board with them. He

101
00:05:13,445 --> 00:05:15,405
Speaker 2: didn't say let's go to the middle of the Sea

102
00:05:15,445 --> 00:05:17,485
Speaker 2: of Galilee and drown. He said, let's go to the

103
00:05:17,525 --> 00:05:21,605
Speaker 2: other side. He didn't promise them smooth sailing, but he

104
00:05:21,685 --> 00:05:25,325
Speaker 2: promised them a safe arrival. And often we'll ask the

105
00:05:25,365 --> 00:05:28,165
Speaker 2: Lord to take our problems away, and sometimes he does

106
00:05:28,285 --> 00:05:32,965
Speaker 2: quite frankly, he'll heal us immediately or remove that problem

107
00:05:33,005 --> 00:05:36,005
Speaker 2: we're facing. But there are other times he'll simply say,

108
00:05:36,125 --> 00:05:38,125
Speaker 2: like he did with Shad rec Meischek and have been

109
00:05:38,165 --> 00:05:41,445
Speaker 2: to go. You know, he was with them, and he

110
00:05:41,485 --> 00:05:44,445
Speaker 2: walked with them through their fiery trial. And I'd rather

111
00:05:44,565 --> 00:05:48,005
Speaker 2: be in a storm with Jesus than anywhere else without him.

112
00:05:48,445 --> 00:05:50,885
Speaker 2: And that's not the only storm you've had to deal with,

113
00:05:50,925 --> 00:05:55,605
Speaker 2: because before you got married, Sheldon was diagnosed with was

114
00:05:55,645 --> 00:05:56,645
Speaker 2: that a brain tumor?

115
00:05:57,085 --> 00:06:00,205
Speaker 1: Yes? Yeah, and you know, so young in your life.

116
00:06:00,245 --> 00:06:01,885
Speaker 1: I used to think growing up as a Christian, and

117
00:06:01,885 --> 00:06:04,205
Speaker 1: it was a huge blessing that even though my parents

118
00:06:04,245 --> 00:06:08,045
Speaker 1: were divorced, became a young Christian when I was very

119
00:06:08,085 --> 00:06:11,405
Speaker 1: young and just plugged us into church and a family

120
00:06:11,445 --> 00:06:14,565
Speaker 1: that became our church family was a family to us.

121
00:06:14,565 --> 00:06:16,765
Speaker 1: So I had a lot of scripture and grounding and

122
00:06:16,805 --> 00:06:19,085
Speaker 1: all of these things. But I used to think, as

123
00:06:19,085 --> 00:06:20,965
Speaker 1: a young Christian, you know, if you follow all the

124
00:06:21,045 --> 00:06:23,725
Speaker 1: rules and you do everything exactly right, you're not going

125
00:06:23,805 --> 00:06:25,964
Speaker 1: to have pain in your life, like God will protect

126
00:06:26,005 --> 00:06:27,805
Speaker 1: you and you're never going to walk through these storms.

127
00:06:28,125 --> 00:06:30,525
Speaker 1: And it was just immaturity to not realize that there

128
00:06:30,565 --> 00:06:32,685
Speaker 1: would be difficult things. And for Sheldon and I, we

129
00:06:32,685 --> 00:06:35,365
Speaker 1: were engaged, we were twenty four years old. He was

130
00:06:35,405 --> 00:06:38,325
Speaker 1: this Division one college athlete, you know, a really strong,

131
00:06:38,405 --> 00:06:42,645
Speaker 1: healthy guy, and just had this incessant earache and to

132
00:06:42,845 --> 00:06:46,165
Speaker 1: nightas and ringing and trouble and balance, and you know,

133
00:06:46,205 --> 00:06:48,765
Speaker 1: it was treated for months as an ear or sinus infection,

134
00:06:48,885 --> 00:06:51,325
Speaker 1: and it wasn't until one day when you know, the

135
00:06:51,365 --> 00:06:53,645
Speaker 1: medical team said, yeah, we kind of rule out this one.

136
00:06:53,765 --> 00:06:55,965
Speaker 1: It's a super long shot possibility, but you could have

137
00:06:56,005 --> 00:06:59,205
Speaker 1: a brain tumor. And that's it was. And so it's

138
00:06:59,205 --> 00:07:01,605
Speaker 1: shocking news to get as a young person who thinks

139
00:07:01,605 --> 00:07:05,405
Speaker 1: that you're healthy and we're getting a yeah, we were

140
00:07:05,725 --> 00:07:10,645
Speaker 1: twenty four and planning our wedding. Yes, it was a

141
00:07:10,685 --> 00:07:13,765
Speaker 1: really tough struggle for Sheldon, a really tough thing to

142
00:07:13,805 --> 00:07:17,605
Speaker 1: walk through, but again grew our faith so much and

143
00:07:17,885 --> 00:07:21,165
Speaker 1: reminded us that, you know, the Body of Christ is

144
00:07:21,205 --> 00:07:23,365
Speaker 1: there for each other. We would get notes from churches

145
00:07:23,405 --> 00:07:25,165
Speaker 1: and people we'd never heard of, and they'd say, we

146
00:07:25,205 --> 00:07:27,245
Speaker 1: heard about your story, we put you on our prayer list,

147
00:07:27,285 --> 00:07:30,525
Speaker 1: and those things were such blessings through the really tough

148
00:07:30,645 --> 00:07:34,485
Speaker 1: recovery and he's great now. It was benign and had

149
00:07:34,525 --> 00:07:37,525
Speaker 1: a wonderful surgeon, and you know, we had complications like

150
00:07:37,525 --> 00:07:40,125
Speaker 1: you often do with brain surgery, but we've been very

151
00:07:40,125 --> 00:07:43,005
Speaker 1: blessed that he's worked through those and is a healthy guy.

152
00:07:43,645 --> 00:07:47,205
Speaker 2: That's great to hear. So Seanon Netzman said, if you

153
00:07:47,245 --> 00:07:49,205
Speaker 2: see a turtle on a fence post, you know he

154
00:07:49,245 --> 00:07:52,005
Speaker 2: didn't get there by himself, right, Someone put him there.

155
00:07:52,365 --> 00:07:54,445
Speaker 2: And it seems to me that God has placed you

156
00:07:54,525 --> 00:07:58,005
Speaker 2: where you are, and it hasn't been easy because when

157
00:07:58,045 --> 00:08:01,685
Speaker 2: you started out your career in journalism, though you were

158
00:08:01,685 --> 00:08:04,765
Speaker 2: trained as a lawyer, you didn't get the most encouraging

159
00:08:04,845 --> 00:08:08,325
Speaker 2: news from one of your first employers, did you.

160
00:08:08,325 --> 00:08:11,005
Speaker 1: You're exactly right, and yeah, I was a lawyer for

161
00:08:11,045 --> 00:08:13,765
Speaker 1: a few years. It was a fantastic career. I didn't

162
00:08:13,765 --> 00:08:15,605
Speaker 1: feel like it was my passion. I didn't feel like

163
00:08:15,645 --> 00:08:17,245
Speaker 1: it was what the Lord had for me for the

164
00:08:17,245 --> 00:08:19,845
Speaker 1: next forty fifty years of my life. But I'd always

165
00:08:19,845 --> 00:08:22,965
Speaker 1: been super interested in journalism, in digging for the news

166
00:08:23,005 --> 00:08:26,205
Speaker 1: and telling a story, and so at the ripe old

167
00:08:26,205 --> 00:08:29,845
Speaker 1: age of twenty nine, I decided to do an internship

168
00:08:29,845 --> 00:08:32,285
Speaker 1: at a local TV station, got my foot in the

169
00:08:32,285 --> 00:08:35,525
Speaker 1: door there and listen. I worked, you know, whatever job

170
00:08:35,564 --> 00:08:37,564
Speaker 1: they would tell me to do, making coffee and answering

171
00:08:37,605 --> 00:08:40,125
Speaker 1: phones and just soaking it up and loving every minute

172
00:08:40,165 --> 00:08:42,205
Speaker 1: of it. Got to the end of that internship and

173
00:08:42,245 --> 00:08:44,725
Speaker 1: I said to them, I'm quitting my law firm. And

174
00:08:44,925 --> 00:08:47,245
Speaker 1: the boss at the time said, you know, we haven't

175
00:08:47,285 --> 00:08:49,564
Speaker 1: offered you a job, but I was stepping out on faith.

176
00:08:50,085 --> 00:08:52,645
Speaker 1: Got that first job, and I worked over nights two

177
00:08:52,645 --> 00:08:55,085
Speaker 1: to eleven AM, and I did the same things. I

178
00:08:55,085 --> 00:08:58,005
Speaker 1: wrote scripts for the morning show, answered the phones, you know,

179
00:08:58,045 --> 00:09:01,085
Speaker 1: worked a teleprompter, did all these things. And eventually one

180
00:09:01,165 --> 00:09:03,765
Speaker 1: day that boss said to me, hey, if we have

181
00:09:03,885 --> 00:09:06,165
Speaker 1: a short staff situation, we need somebody to run out

182
00:09:06,165 --> 00:09:08,605
Speaker 1: on a story, we'll send you. So I was just

183
00:09:08,685 --> 00:09:11,045
Speaker 1: starting to do reports here and there. I was saving

184
00:09:11,085 --> 00:09:14,965
Speaker 1: my tape and trying to build this very beginning on

185
00:09:15,125 --> 00:09:17,565
Speaker 1: air career. And I came in one day and my

186
00:09:17,685 --> 00:09:20,365
Speaker 1: boss and his boss were gone. There was a complete

187
00:09:20,445 --> 00:09:23,485
Speaker 1: management change, and everybody told me this is terrible. It's

188
00:09:23,525 --> 00:09:26,245
Speaker 1: not good when new managers come in. And I thought, well,

189
00:09:26,485 --> 00:09:28,605
Speaker 1: you know, I'm making no money, I'm doing all these jobs.

190
00:09:28,645 --> 00:09:31,125
Speaker 1: I'm happy I'm working overnights. I got a great attitude.

191
00:09:31,565 --> 00:09:34,445
Speaker 1: Well two weeks into the tenure of the new guy,

192
00:09:34,565 --> 00:09:37,245
Speaker 1: I got called in on a Friday afternoon and HR

193
00:09:37,325 --> 00:09:38,925
Speaker 1: was sitting there, the head of HR, and I thought,

194
00:09:39,085 --> 00:09:43,005
Speaker 1: I'm getting promoted. But it's Friday afternoon and the head

195
00:09:43,005 --> 00:09:44,845
Speaker 1: of HR is sitting there with your boss or probably

196
00:09:44,845 --> 00:09:48,005
Speaker 1: not getting promoted. And the new guy told me, he said,

197
00:09:48,085 --> 00:09:50,965
Speaker 1: you are the worst person I've ever seen on TV.

198
00:09:51,085 --> 00:09:52,684
Speaker 1: I don't know who thought this was a good idea,

199
00:09:52,725 --> 00:09:55,285
Speaker 1: but you're never going to make it in this business.

200
00:09:55,765 --> 00:09:59,685
Speaker 1: And it was super painful and embarrassing and a very

201
00:09:59,805 --> 00:10:02,605
Speaker 1: very humbling and I learned a lot through that process,

202
00:10:02,645 --> 00:10:06,045
Speaker 1: and it made me really say, okay, going to be

203
00:10:06,085 --> 00:10:08,485
Speaker 1: willing to look objectively and see all the work and

204
00:10:08,525 --> 00:10:10,045
Speaker 1: the growth I need to do. I still think that

205
00:10:10,165 --> 00:10:12,405
Speaker 1: for every show you can improve, things could be better.

206
00:10:12,645 --> 00:10:14,485
Speaker 1: But that was a really tough time, and I thought,

207
00:10:14,525 --> 00:10:16,725
Speaker 1: did I hear the Lord wrong about this? Did I

208
00:10:16,765 --> 00:10:19,445
Speaker 1: go down the wrong path? But you know, had covered

209
00:10:19,445 --> 00:10:22,444
Speaker 1: in so much prayer with Sheldon and with other people

210
00:10:22,445 --> 00:10:24,965
Speaker 1: that we trusted, and I just had to trust the

211
00:10:24,965 --> 00:10:25,965
Speaker 1: Lord for the next step.

212
00:10:26,445 --> 00:10:28,565
Speaker 2: Did you ever call him back and say, hey, did

213
00:10:28,605 --> 00:10:31,045
Speaker 2: you know that they have a weekly show on Fox News,

214
00:10:31,085 --> 00:10:34,685
Speaker 2: and I'm the chief legal correspondent for Fox too. The

215
00:10:34,805 --> 00:10:37,045
Speaker 2: Supreme Court. He didn't do.

216
00:10:37,085 --> 00:10:40,485
Speaker 1: Anything, but I did not. And you know what, as

217
00:10:40,565 --> 00:10:42,725
Speaker 1: much as I heard at the time, I have so

218
00:10:42,845 --> 00:10:45,765
Speaker 1: much perspective now, so it's easier with the wound is

219
00:10:45,765 --> 00:10:48,205
Speaker 1: not so fresh to say he did me a favor.

220
00:10:48,285 --> 00:10:50,365
Speaker 1: I mean, he had so much to learn. He really

221
00:10:50,445 --> 00:10:52,925
Speaker 1: kicked me out of the nest. And I don't think

222
00:10:52,965 --> 00:10:55,285
Speaker 1: that I would be able to do these wonderful things

223
00:10:55,285 --> 00:10:58,005
Speaker 1: and opportunities that Fox has provided me if I hadn't

224
00:10:58,005 --> 00:10:59,165
Speaker 1: gotten fired from that job.

225
00:10:59,645 --> 00:11:01,885
Speaker 2: I'm speaking of the wonderful things. I mean, You've sat

226
00:11:01,925 --> 00:11:05,925
Speaker 2: in the Oval Office, You've interviewed presidents, You've i met

227
00:11:06,085 --> 00:11:10,285
Speaker 2: foreign leaders, You've interviewed and engaged with so many people,

228
00:11:11,365 --> 00:11:14,965
Speaker 2: Like what have been some surprises? Like because I know

229
00:11:15,005 --> 00:11:17,925
Speaker 2: when I've interviewed people, not at any level near what

230
00:11:18,085 --> 00:11:21,245
Speaker 2: you do. But some certain people you think would be

231
00:11:21,325 --> 00:11:25,444
Speaker 2: an easy interview are actually much harder, and others are

232
00:11:25,565 --> 00:11:28,885
Speaker 2: surprising some of the things they'll say. Anything's come to

233
00:11:28,965 --> 00:11:31,925
Speaker 2: mind after all these years of interviewing people.

234
00:11:32,525 --> 00:11:34,965
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, sometimes you probably find this too. People

235
00:11:35,005 --> 00:11:37,605
Speaker 1: are much more comfortable. When you're talking before the camera

236
00:11:37,725 --> 00:11:40,805
Speaker 1: or the microphone is set up. You think, oh, goodness,

237
00:11:40,845 --> 00:11:42,885
Speaker 1: this is a wonderful story about their life or whatever

238
00:11:42,925 --> 00:11:44,485
Speaker 1: it is. Or I'm getting all these great nuggets, and

239
00:11:44,525 --> 00:11:46,565
Speaker 1: the midute the light turns on or the camera or

240
00:11:46,565 --> 00:11:49,444
Speaker 1: the microphone is on, it's a totally different experience. You're

241
00:11:49,445 --> 00:11:51,365
Speaker 1: really having to pull teeth, and when you're doing that

242
00:11:51,405 --> 00:11:54,445
Speaker 1: live on television, it really requires you to tap dance

243
00:11:54,525 --> 00:11:57,365
Speaker 1: quite a bit. So sometimes you find that out once

244
00:11:57,405 --> 00:12:00,085
Speaker 1: the camera's rolling that people are very protective and there's

245
00:12:00,085 --> 00:12:01,605
Speaker 1: a little bit of a shell that goes up with

246
00:12:01,645 --> 00:12:03,965
Speaker 1: some people. But I've had the chance to do really

247
00:12:03,965 --> 00:12:06,725
Speaker 1: interesting things, as you mentioned, God the world and interview

248
00:12:06,725 --> 00:12:10,165
Speaker 1: all kinds of people, and I've had people walk out

249
00:12:10,565 --> 00:12:13,405
Speaker 1: in the middle of a segment, yeah, when they've gotten

250
00:12:13,445 --> 00:12:14,045
Speaker 1: angry enough.

251
00:12:14,205 --> 00:12:17,325
Speaker 2: So can you tell me who any of them were?

252
00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:20,445
Speaker 1: Or is that something you could say, Well, there was

253
00:12:20,725 --> 00:12:22,605
Speaker 1: a panel that I was doing one time, so there

254
00:12:22,685 --> 00:12:25,804
Speaker 1: was a Republican and a Democrat. It got really heated,

255
00:12:25,965 --> 00:12:30,605
Speaker 1: and there were consultants and advocates. They weren't lawmakers, although

256
00:12:30,605 --> 00:12:33,405
Speaker 1: I've had lawmakers threatened to walk off the show live

257
00:12:33,445 --> 00:12:36,685
Speaker 1: on TV. They didn't actually do it, so different an

258
00:12:36,725 --> 00:12:38,285
Speaker 1: adventures along the way, for sure.

259
00:12:38,445 --> 00:12:41,245
Speaker 2: What's it like to sit in the Oval Office? Have

260
00:12:41,365 --> 00:12:44,885
Speaker 2: you ever interviewed the president in the Oval Office?

261
00:12:45,285 --> 00:12:48,325
Speaker 1: I haven't done it there, which I would. I like

262
00:12:48,405 --> 00:12:50,005
Speaker 1: to and I look forward to that. Hopefully we can

263
00:12:50,045 --> 00:12:51,045
Speaker 1: do that this term with President.

264
00:12:51,405 --> 00:12:54,005
Speaker 2: You've been in the Oval Office, haven't you? Yes, it's

265
00:12:54,605 --> 00:12:57,285
Speaker 2: amazing to my impression of it. When I walked in,

266
00:12:57,365 --> 00:12:59,965
Speaker 2: they took our phones away so we couldn't film. So

267
00:13:00,045 --> 00:13:04,725
Speaker 2: I'm mentally photographing everything in there, because you know, such

268
00:13:04,765 --> 00:13:06,684
Speaker 2: a big deal to stand in this place where so

269
00:13:06,765 --> 00:13:09,485
Speaker 2: much history is made. But what struck me about it

270
00:13:09,525 --> 00:13:13,125
Speaker 2: is this isn't kind of a small room, right, It's

271
00:13:13,125 --> 00:13:16,485
Speaker 2: sort of an impractically shaped room, you know that the

272
00:13:16,525 --> 00:13:20,245
Speaker 2: way that the President's desk goal resolute sort of faces

273
00:13:20,245 --> 00:13:23,045
Speaker 2: out and then of the two couches facing each other,

274
00:13:23,485 --> 00:13:26,165
Speaker 2: so you stand or maybe pull a chair up it.

275
00:13:27,005 --> 00:13:29,565
Speaker 2: You know, it's not the most practical space, but boy,

276
00:13:29,645 --> 00:13:31,325
Speaker 2: what a significant space.

277
00:13:31,045 --> 00:13:34,645
Speaker 1: It is, right, And you think about how many enormous

278
00:13:34,685 --> 00:13:38,405
Speaker 1: decisions and conversations have been had in that room. Every

279
00:13:38,405 --> 00:13:39,805
Speaker 1: time that I get to go work at the White

280
00:13:39,805 --> 00:13:42,245
Speaker 1: House or do an event over there or whatever it

281
00:13:42,365 --> 00:13:44,804
Speaker 1: is my assignment for the day. Kind of pitch myself

282
00:13:44,845 --> 00:13:46,765
Speaker 1: because I'm like, I'm still this kid who grew up

283
00:13:46,765 --> 00:13:49,525
Speaker 1: in Tallahassee, Florida. Oh joke, you know, I wore hand

284
00:13:49,605 --> 00:13:51,285
Speaker 1: me downs, I grew up with my mom was a

285
00:13:51,325 --> 00:13:54,165
Speaker 1: single mom for most of my childhood. And you know

286
00:13:54,205 --> 00:13:56,125
Speaker 1: what that's like. I mean, it can be a struggle.

287
00:13:56,125 --> 00:13:57,845
Speaker 1: And so when you look at that and think how

288
00:13:57,885 --> 00:13:59,925
Speaker 1: did I end up here? It really is just the

289
00:13:59,965 --> 00:14:01,965
Speaker 1: hand of the Lord who opens every door for us.

290
00:14:02,125 --> 00:14:05,085
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know, I also think that God allows

291
00:14:05,165 --> 00:14:07,525
Speaker 2: us to go through what we go through for a reason,

292
00:14:07,725 --> 00:14:11,324
Speaker 2: and everything's preparation for something else. And like Thissama said,

293
00:14:11,805 --> 00:14:13,965
Speaker 2: when I was in my mother's womb, you knew me.

294
00:14:14,165 --> 00:14:18,445
Speaker 2: And so those experiences mold you into who you become.

295
00:14:18,925 --> 00:14:21,405
Speaker 2: And though maybe sometimes we wouldn't wish some of the

296
00:14:21,485 --> 00:14:25,925
Speaker 2: unhappy experiences of our lives on others, we know that

297
00:14:25,965 --> 00:14:29,045
Speaker 2: there's a verse that says God can cause all things

298
00:14:29,085 --> 00:14:31,885
Speaker 2: to work together for good to those that love Him,

299
00:14:31,885 --> 00:14:35,925
Speaker 2: and that word all means all things. So, Shannon, you're

300
00:14:36,005 --> 00:14:41,445
Speaker 2: the Chief correspondent to the Supreme Court, what recent decisions

301
00:14:41,485 --> 00:14:45,165
Speaker 2: have been made that that will you believe, will have

302
00:14:45,365 --> 00:14:48,725
Speaker 2: a significant impact on us as Americans.

303
00:14:49,205 --> 00:14:52,125
Speaker 1: Well, you know what, I think that as we're talking,

304
00:14:52,205 --> 00:14:54,645
Speaker 1: we're waiting for a really big one right now, which

305
00:14:54,685 --> 00:14:57,045
Speaker 1: is the tariff's case. The President has built so much

306
00:14:57,045 --> 00:15:00,365
Speaker 1: of his economic policy the second term on these tariffs

307
00:15:00,405 --> 00:15:02,725
Speaker 1: that have brought in billions and billions of dollars, have

308
00:15:02,805 --> 00:15:06,045
Speaker 1: helped bring down the deficit. But there's this our about

309
00:15:06,085 --> 00:15:09,405
Speaker 1: whether he went about them legally, whether they are permissible

310
00:15:09,485 --> 00:15:13,045
Speaker 1: under this Emergency Powers Act, And so sitting through those

311
00:15:13,165 --> 00:15:16,565
Speaker 1: arguments a couple of months ago, it was fast tracked.

312
00:15:16,565 --> 00:15:19,005
Speaker 1: Another case was moved off the calendar so the court

313
00:15:19,005 --> 00:15:21,765
Speaker 1: could hear this case. So I thought we would get

314
00:15:21,765 --> 00:15:24,245
Speaker 1: it a little bit quicker than we have. But we

315
00:15:24,285 --> 00:15:26,645
Speaker 1: are waiting, as you and I are talking, for that decision,

316
00:15:27,085 --> 00:15:29,325
Speaker 1: and it will have such a ripple effect, not only

317
00:15:29,405 --> 00:15:32,685
Speaker 1: on the current economic situation. And the White House will

318
00:15:32,725 --> 00:15:36,565
Speaker 1: have other options that are much smaller, more nuanced tariffs

319
00:15:36,565 --> 00:15:38,965
Speaker 1: that they can do if they're struck down. But gosh,

320
00:15:39,045 --> 00:15:41,725
Speaker 1: it looks at the extent of executive power, and this

321
00:15:41,805 --> 00:15:44,005
Speaker 1: is a president who has done a lot of things

322
00:15:44,045 --> 00:15:47,125
Speaker 1: through executive power. Which they only last as long as

323
00:15:47,165 --> 00:15:50,365
Speaker 1: your term if they're not codified into legislation. But I

324
00:15:50,405 --> 00:15:52,285
Speaker 1: think right now we're all kinds of on pins and

325
00:15:52,325 --> 00:15:54,605
Speaker 1: needles waiting for that decision. It's a good one.

326
00:15:54,805 --> 00:15:57,805
Speaker 2: What is the most memorable day that you've had covering

327
00:15:57,845 --> 00:15:58,685
Speaker 2: the Supreme Court?

328
00:15:59,845 --> 00:16:02,285
Speaker 1: H gosh, A couple really big decisions, and that I've

329
00:16:02,325 --> 00:16:05,005
Speaker 1: been doing this seventeen eighteen years now. I think back

330
00:16:05,045 --> 00:16:07,605
Speaker 1: in twenty fifteen, I believe it was, but I'm getting

331
00:16:07,605 --> 00:16:10,645
Speaker 1: the date right. The day that the Court came down

332
00:16:10,765 --> 00:16:13,965
Speaker 1: and said that with Justice Kennedy leading this decision, that

333
00:16:14,045 --> 00:16:16,965
Speaker 1: same sex marriage would be legal in all fifty states.

334
00:16:16,965 --> 00:16:19,685
Speaker 1: We'd seen some of the states percolating, and there were

335
00:16:19,685 --> 00:16:22,445
Speaker 1: those who were worried, let states decide it state by state,

336
00:16:22,805 --> 00:16:25,125
Speaker 1: and yet the sweeping decision at the hand of Justice

337
00:16:25,205 --> 00:16:28,805
Speaker 1: Kennedy that day was a huge day. It was definitely

338
00:16:28,805 --> 00:16:30,925
Speaker 1: one of those days that I would say, also the

339
00:16:31,005 --> 00:16:34,765
Speaker 1: day we got the Obamacare decision upholding Obamacare. It feels

340
00:16:34,845 --> 00:16:36,245
Speaker 1: like you're kind of sitting in the middle of a

341
00:16:36,365 --> 00:16:38,565
Speaker 1: history book knowing that this is a moment that will

342
00:16:38,605 --> 00:16:39,725
Speaker 1: change the country forever.

343
00:16:40,085 --> 00:16:42,685
Speaker 2: Yeah, what was the other of the couple yeah, I

344
00:16:42,725 --> 00:16:43,125
Speaker 2: think that.

345
00:16:43,045 --> 00:16:46,165
Speaker 1: The Obamacare decision was a really big one as well.

346
00:16:46,445 --> 00:16:49,605
Speaker 1: Obviously the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. There's

347
00:16:49,645 --> 00:16:52,005
Speaker 1: in that leak a few weeks before it actually came out,

348
00:16:52,565 --> 00:16:57,045
Speaker 1: which made it such a fascinating, really dangerous story for

349
00:16:57,085 --> 00:17:01,005
Speaker 1: the justices because you know, no opinion is official until

350
00:17:01,005 --> 00:17:03,125
Speaker 1: it's issued by the court. So even though there was

351
00:17:03,165 --> 00:17:06,445
Speaker 1: this draft opinion, if one of the justices had been

352
00:17:06,524 --> 00:17:09,084
Speaker 1: left that had been somehow taken off the court in

353
00:17:09,125 --> 00:17:12,084
Speaker 1: that interim, and it changed the votes, and there were

354
00:17:12,125 --> 00:17:15,164
Speaker 1: people who were very angry. We remember, you know, the

355
00:17:15,165 --> 00:17:18,085
Speaker 1: guy who shut up to Justice Kavanaugh's house and admitted

356
00:17:18,125 --> 00:17:20,925
Speaker 1: that he was planning doing harm to him. So, I mean,

357
00:17:20,965 --> 00:17:23,725
Speaker 1: those moments are really big moments in history that aren't

358
00:17:23,764 --> 00:17:26,725
Speaker 1: just about the Court but really about the country more broadly.

359
00:17:27,445 --> 00:17:30,604
Speaker 2: Now you've written a new book, Nothing is Impossible with God.

360
00:17:31,405 --> 00:17:35,084
Speaker 2: Who are some of the characters or stories you focus

361
00:17:35,165 --> 00:17:38,804
Speaker 2: on in your book and how did you choose what

362
00:17:39,004 --> 00:17:39,725
Speaker 2: to talk about?

363
00:17:40,324 --> 00:17:43,124
Speaker 1: You know, I've always had this kind of collection of

364
00:17:43,165 --> 00:17:45,244
Speaker 1: these stories that I wanted to put into this book

365
00:17:45,244 --> 00:17:48,084
Speaker 1: because to me, the theme of them is overcomers and

366
00:17:48,165 --> 00:17:51,844
Speaker 1: sometimes it's having to overcome outside opposition, somebody trying to

367
00:17:51,885 --> 00:17:53,725
Speaker 1: stop you from something that the Lord has.

368
00:17:53,564 --> 00:17:54,084
Speaker 2: Called you to.

369
00:17:54,205 --> 00:17:57,044
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's yourself, whether you have self doubt, you have

370
00:17:57,125 --> 00:17:59,764
Speaker 1: your own failures, or you're rebellious. I mean, there are

371
00:17:59,764 --> 00:18:01,925
Speaker 1: all kinds of things to overcome. And so this collection

372
00:18:01,965 --> 00:18:04,885
Speaker 1: of stories starts out with Gideon, and I've always loved

373
00:18:04,925 --> 00:18:07,605
Speaker 1: his story an overcomer, the fact that you know, when

374
00:18:07,645 --> 00:18:09,924
Speaker 1: God came and called him to lead the Israelites to

375
00:18:09,925 --> 00:18:12,165
Speaker 1: this big victory, he was like, wait a minute, I'm

376
00:18:12,205 --> 00:18:14,645
Speaker 1: the least in my family, from the least clan, from

377
00:18:14,645 --> 00:18:17,965
Speaker 1: the least tribe. I'm not your guy, much like Moses

378
00:18:18,084 --> 00:18:20,125
Speaker 1: arguing with the Lord. But his story is such an

379
00:18:20,165 --> 00:18:24,645
Speaker 1: amazing narrative of redemption of God. And again God gets

380
00:18:24,645 --> 00:18:26,564
Speaker 1: the glory in all of these stories when he helps

381
00:18:26,604 --> 00:18:29,285
Speaker 1: these people overcome and just as he can in our life.

382
00:18:29,405 --> 00:18:32,284
Speaker 1: I love Joseph. I think he goes back to some

383
00:18:32,405 --> 00:18:34,725
Speaker 1: of what you were saying early about that, you know,

384
00:18:34,804 --> 00:18:37,405
Speaker 1: God can use things for good. And there's that verse

385
00:18:37,484 --> 00:18:40,764
Speaker 1: in Joseph's story where at the end of all of

386
00:18:40,844 --> 00:18:44,725
Speaker 1: these betrayals and wrongdoing to him, that he stayed faithful

387
00:18:44,764 --> 00:18:47,244
Speaker 1: to the Lord, and he says, what you meant for evil,

388
00:18:47,324 --> 00:18:50,244
Speaker 1: God meant for good. So I think being able to

389
00:18:50,244 --> 00:18:52,244
Speaker 1: see that through those stories, I find them to be

390
00:18:52,324 --> 00:18:52,925
Speaker 1: so hopeful.

391
00:18:53,604 --> 00:18:57,484
Speaker 2: Absolutely, And do you One of the things we talked

392
00:18:57,524 --> 00:19:01,605
Speaker 2: about was Jonah, and we did a little podcast for you,

393
00:19:01,685 --> 00:19:04,085
Speaker 2: not a little a big podcast. We did your podcast

394
00:19:04,405 --> 00:19:08,284
Speaker 2: is what I should say, And that's a fascinating story. Yes,

395
00:19:09,365 --> 00:19:12,445
Speaker 2: what resonates to the story of Jonah in your life?

396
00:19:12,484 --> 00:19:14,364
Speaker 1: And I love that the way that you helped me

397
00:19:14,405 --> 00:19:17,564
Speaker 1: break it down on my podcast too, because when we

398
00:19:17,604 --> 00:19:20,085
Speaker 1: look at his story, you think about God telling him

399
00:19:20,084 --> 00:19:21,884
Speaker 1: to go to Ninevah and he's like, no, thank you.

400
00:19:22,244 --> 00:19:24,324
Speaker 1: Not only does he say no or try to argue

401
00:19:24,324 --> 00:19:25,925
Speaker 1: with God, he just takes off in a ship and

402
00:19:26,004 --> 00:19:29,124
Speaker 1: the exact opposite direction that at that time period was

403
00:19:29,205 --> 00:19:32,605
Speaker 1: probably the furthest he could have gone from Nineveh. And

404
00:19:32,844 --> 00:19:34,685
Speaker 1: as we discussed, I thought as a kid, it was

405
00:19:34,725 --> 00:19:38,324
Speaker 1: just he was afraid of the Ninavites because they were terrible, violent,

406
00:19:38,764 --> 00:19:42,004
Speaker 1: barbarous people. And I include some details on that in

407
00:19:42,004 --> 00:19:44,924
Speaker 1: the book Nothing's Impossible with God. But it wasn't just

408
00:19:45,125 --> 00:19:47,084
Speaker 1: that he was afraid of them. As you and I

409
00:19:47,125 --> 00:19:50,605
Speaker 1: talked about, he was really rebelling, rebelling against against God,

410
00:19:50,645 --> 00:19:54,044
Speaker 1: because while he thought the God of Israel he deserved

411
00:19:54,084 --> 00:19:57,524
Speaker 1: that mercy and that forgiveness and the grace that he

412
00:19:57,604 --> 00:19:59,604
Speaker 1: had been given, he didn't want it to go to

413
00:19:59,604 --> 00:20:01,804
Speaker 1: the people of Ninevah. He just thought they weren't worthy

414
00:20:01,844 --> 00:20:04,605
Speaker 1: of it. And it raises all these questions about are

415
00:20:04,685 --> 00:20:07,444
Speaker 1: we gave keeping at any point about the goodness of

416
00:20:07,484 --> 00:20:10,925
Speaker 1: God because we think someone else doesn't deserve to hear

417
00:20:10,965 --> 00:20:13,524
Speaker 1: the message that is just so humbling and full of grace.

418
00:20:14,564 --> 00:20:16,564
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that. What I really like about your

419
00:20:16,604 --> 00:20:19,445
Speaker 2: book and just you're writing in general, Shannon, is you

420
00:20:19,484 --> 00:20:23,845
Speaker 2: have a great working knowledge of scripture that comes out

421
00:20:23,844 --> 00:20:25,804
Speaker 2: and everything that you say and do, you make it

422
00:20:25,925 --> 00:20:29,645
Speaker 2: understandable and accessible. And I like how you also weave

423
00:20:29,725 --> 00:20:33,044
Speaker 2: the stories of your own life into it, because you know,

424
00:20:33,165 --> 00:20:36,445
Speaker 2: people relate to people, and as we hear of the

425
00:20:36,445 --> 00:20:40,044
Speaker 2: struggles and challenges that others are facing, we realize, hey,

426
00:20:40,044 --> 00:20:43,084
Speaker 2: I'm not the only one. And you know, another person

427
00:20:43,125 --> 00:20:45,444
Speaker 2: that reminds you a couple of people that I know

428
00:20:45,524 --> 00:20:49,404
Speaker 2: you've interviewed them before, is Mike Johnson, the Speaker of

429
00:20:49,405 --> 00:20:52,484
Speaker 2: the House. He's such a great guy, I think he's

430
00:20:52,484 --> 00:20:56,405
Speaker 2: a great speaker, but I think he's a wonderful a wonderful,

431
00:20:56,604 --> 00:20:59,764
Speaker 2: very committed Christian. And when I talk to him and

432
00:21:00,004 --> 00:21:02,925
Speaker 2: we talk about scripture, I feel like I said, dont

433
00:21:02,925 --> 00:21:05,924
Speaker 2: once you know, you remind me of a pastor. He

434
00:21:05,965 --> 00:21:08,844
Speaker 2: has like a pastoral quality. He says, well, one of

435
00:21:08,885 --> 00:21:13,204
Speaker 2: my main jobs is kind of counseling people. Yes, you know,

436
00:21:13,244 --> 00:21:16,565
Speaker 2: because he has to get people who see things very

437
00:21:16,564 --> 00:21:19,764
Speaker 2: differently to come together, and that's quite a skill that

438
00:21:20,604 --> 00:21:23,045
Speaker 2: he has to be able to do that. But then

439
00:21:23,165 --> 00:21:27,164
Speaker 2: Marco Rubio also and we've heard a lot about Marco

440
00:21:27,524 --> 00:21:30,284
Speaker 2: lately and all that he's doing his secretary of State.

441
00:21:30,365 --> 00:21:33,645
Speaker 2: I think he's a fantastic secretary of State. He recently

442
00:21:33,685 --> 00:21:37,605
Speaker 2: gave his speech in a Germany that has a lot

443
00:21:37,645 --> 00:21:41,405
Speaker 2: of people buzzing. I've always felt he would be a

444
00:21:41,405 --> 00:21:45,884
Speaker 2: great candidate ultimately to run for the presidency, and I

445
00:21:45,925 --> 00:21:48,324
Speaker 2: think he's showing that in speeches that he's giving. But

446
00:21:48,365 --> 00:21:52,085
Speaker 2: what I love about him is that he has such

447
00:21:52,125 --> 00:21:56,085
Speaker 2: a great knowledge of scripture, has such an interesting story

448
00:21:56,205 --> 00:22:00,725
Speaker 2: his parents coming from Cuba and communism and just sort

449
00:22:00,764 --> 00:22:03,165
Speaker 2: of the classic American success story.

450
00:22:03,564 --> 00:22:06,884
Speaker 1: But I have both of those men, as you said,

451
00:22:06,925 --> 00:22:09,965
Speaker 1: are very open about their faith and very knowledgeable about

452
00:22:09,965 --> 00:22:12,404
Speaker 1: the Bible, and I've heard them in so many different

453
00:22:12,445 --> 00:22:15,644
Speaker 1: situations over the years. When Secretary of Rubio was on

454
00:22:15,685 --> 00:22:18,964
Speaker 1: the presidential campaign trail years ago, I got to know

455
00:22:19,004 --> 00:22:21,124
Speaker 1: that he was very sincere in his faith and the

456
00:22:21,125 --> 00:22:23,684
Speaker 1: way that he talked about it wasn't just for audiences.

457
00:22:23,725 --> 00:22:26,044
Speaker 1: And you know this having interviewed and spoken with him,

458
00:22:26,405 --> 00:22:28,445
Speaker 1: that it's very much at the core of his life.

459
00:22:28,524 --> 00:22:31,404
Speaker 1: And I think when we saw him speak at Charlie

460
00:22:31,484 --> 00:22:35,045
Speaker 1: Kirk's memorial, Yes, he gave what I thought was one

461
00:22:35,044 --> 00:22:38,004
Speaker 1: of the clearest presentations of the Gospel and some two

462
00:22:38,004 --> 00:22:42,044
Speaker 1: to three four five maybe married true for somebody who's

463
00:22:42,084 --> 00:22:44,165
Speaker 1: not a pastor. I was like, well, wow, I mean

464
00:22:44,244 --> 00:22:46,964
Speaker 1: he he made that about his stinct and as thorough

465
00:22:47,004 --> 00:22:49,604
Speaker 1: as you could be in that timeframe. And when it

466
00:22:49,604 --> 00:22:52,524
Speaker 1: comes to Speaker Mike Johnson, I knew him years ago

467
00:22:52,564 --> 00:22:54,764
Speaker 1: as a congressman and before that as an attorney who

468
00:22:54,804 --> 00:22:56,685
Speaker 1: did a lot of work on religious freedom and those

469
00:22:56,804 --> 00:23:00,845
Speaker 1: kinds of things. And he's somebody who never sought the speakership.

470
00:23:00,885 --> 00:23:04,524
Speaker 1: You remember how tumultuous that was with Republicans voting people

471
00:23:04,524 --> 00:23:06,884
Speaker 1: in and out and brown and rounds of votes. And

472
00:23:06,965 --> 00:23:09,844
Speaker 1: I think that he holds it very lightly because he

473
00:23:09,965 --> 00:23:12,764
Speaker 1: knows it's of the Lord. He prays for wisdom every

474
00:23:12,844 --> 00:23:15,124
Speaker 1: day and that he will get these things right and

475
00:23:15,165 --> 00:23:17,404
Speaker 1: that he will be able to counsel people. And I

476
00:23:17,445 --> 00:23:19,725
Speaker 1: think he's a good example of it's not about him.

477
00:23:20,205 --> 00:23:22,164
Speaker 1: It's about whatever the Lord is calling him to do

478
00:23:22,244 --> 00:23:24,085
Speaker 1: and the work that he's got to do. So when

479
00:23:24,125 --> 00:23:26,205
Speaker 1: people threaten him and say we're going to vote you

480
00:23:26,284 --> 00:23:28,645
Speaker 1: out or this or the other, I really don't think

481
00:23:28,645 --> 00:23:31,004
Speaker 1: it fazes him. I think he says, you know, as

482
00:23:31,044 --> 00:23:32,804
Speaker 1: long as the Lord wants me in this season, in

483
00:23:32,804 --> 00:23:35,484
Speaker 1: this position, I'll be here. When I'm not supposed to be,

484
00:23:35,524 --> 00:23:36,365
Speaker 1: I won't be anymore.

485
00:23:36,604 --> 00:23:39,365
Speaker 2: Well, I think they do a great job expressing their

486
00:23:39,365 --> 00:23:41,924
Speaker 2: faith and the platform God has given them. And I

487
00:23:41,965 --> 00:23:45,445
Speaker 2: think you do a great job expressing your faith as well,

488
00:23:45,484 --> 00:23:48,484
Speaker 2: and so thank you for all that you do. So

489
00:23:49,205 --> 00:23:53,524
Speaker 2: one question I asked Secretary Rubio, just because I did

490
00:23:53,604 --> 00:23:55,285
Speaker 2: an interview with him and I wanted to ask him

491
00:23:55,284 --> 00:23:58,484
Speaker 2: something random, So I said, so, what's your favorite food

492
00:23:58,804 --> 00:24:02,004
Speaker 2: that you like to eat? Yeah, And his favorite food

493
00:24:02,284 --> 00:24:06,884
Speaker 2: is chicken, palm and pizza, so one of shnnon Bream's

494
00:24:06,925 --> 00:24:07,645
Speaker 2: favorite food.

495
00:24:08,284 --> 00:24:12,044
Speaker 1: It is definitely chocolate chip cookies, okay, and some people

496
00:24:12,084 --> 00:24:14,644
Speaker 1: will be upset about this. I really like it with walnuts.

497
00:24:14,725 --> 00:24:16,685
Speaker 1: Some people do not want nuts in their cookies or

498
00:24:16,685 --> 00:24:20,605
Speaker 1: their brownies, but I like it, very hearty cookie with

499
00:24:20,645 --> 00:24:22,685
Speaker 1: the nuts in it. I like the little sea salts

500
00:24:22,764 --> 00:24:25,205
Speaker 1: with my sweets, the little sea salts on my cookie.

501
00:24:25,564 --> 00:24:29,645
Speaker 1: And I consider myself an aficionado because I will eat

502
00:24:29,685 --> 00:24:32,724
Speaker 1: a cookie anywhere on the planet and I give it

503
00:24:32,725 --> 00:24:34,684
Speaker 1: my own internal rating on a one to ten. So

504
00:24:34,764 --> 00:24:36,684
Speaker 1: I've got my favorites out there. But if I can,

505
00:24:36,885 --> 00:24:38,445
Speaker 1: but I was only stuck eating one thing, it would

506
00:24:38,445 --> 00:24:39,765
Speaker 1: be cookies. Chocolate chip cookies.

507
00:24:39,885 --> 00:24:41,524
Speaker 2: Do you make your own or do you have a

508
00:24:41,564 --> 00:24:42,885
Speaker 2: place you like to go and get.

509
00:24:42,685 --> 00:24:45,884
Speaker 1: Them when I have time. I love just a good

510
00:24:45,885 --> 00:24:48,645
Speaker 1: old fashioned toll house cook recipe that's on the bag.

511
00:24:48,804 --> 00:24:49,084
Speaker 2: Yes.

512
00:24:49,205 --> 00:24:51,885
Speaker 1: My problem is I much rather eat the batter than

513
00:24:51,885 --> 00:24:55,084
Speaker 1: the cookie, so they don't really turn into cookies if

514
00:24:55,084 --> 00:24:57,805
Speaker 1: I make them. But there's a place in Arlington, Virginia

515
00:24:57,844 --> 00:25:00,445
Speaker 1: called Live in the Pie Life. They are known for

516
00:25:00,484 --> 00:25:03,284
Speaker 1: their pies, but they also make cookies and I would

517
00:25:03,324 --> 00:25:06,565
Speaker 1: say that they're chocolate chip cookie with walnuts is the

518
00:25:06,604 --> 00:25:07,805
Speaker 1: top of my list.

519
00:25:08,084 --> 00:25:10,484
Speaker 2: So you're living the bream and living the pie life

520
00:25:10,484 --> 00:25:11,244
Speaker 2: at the same time.

521
00:25:12,925 --> 00:25:14,965
Speaker 1: I am. That's part of living the bream is being

522
00:25:14,965 --> 00:25:16,205
Speaker 1: able to eat those cookies a case.

523
00:25:16,205 --> 00:25:18,325
Speaker 2: Can you name your Doug Biscuit? So there's a lot

524
00:25:18,365 --> 00:25:19,564
Speaker 2: of food illustrations there.

525
00:25:19,725 --> 00:25:21,324
Speaker 1: There are always food things happening.

526
00:25:21,445 --> 00:25:24,484
Speaker 2: So what makes you laugh? Uh?

527
00:25:24,524 --> 00:25:27,965
Speaker 1: You know what? I like very quirky kind of things.

528
00:25:28,044 --> 00:25:30,405
Speaker 1: San and I have completely different senses of humor. He's

529
00:25:30,524 --> 00:25:34,405
Speaker 1: very much like a slapstick three Stooges kind of guy.

530
00:25:35,084 --> 00:25:36,844
Speaker 1: I kind of like things that have to percolate in

531
00:25:36,885 --> 00:25:38,884
Speaker 1: your brain for a second and then they land and

532
00:25:38,925 --> 00:25:41,044
Speaker 1: it's really ironic and you kind of get it and

533
00:25:41,044 --> 00:25:43,084
Speaker 1: it's weird. I have a very weird sense of humor.

534
00:25:43,165 --> 00:25:46,924
Speaker 1: I love things like Nacho lebre One of my favorite

535
00:25:46,965 --> 00:25:49,764
Speaker 1: movies Napoleon Dynamite. I love that movie, definitely, one of

536
00:25:49,804 --> 00:25:52,605
Speaker 1: my favorite movies. Just kind of weird, offbeat stuff is more.

537
00:25:53,165 --> 00:25:57,165
Speaker 2: You know, people either love or hate Napoleon Dynamite. They

538
00:25:57,165 --> 00:25:59,445
Speaker 2: do because if you don't get it, you don't get it.

539
00:25:59,484 --> 00:26:02,084
Speaker 2: But from the moment I started watching, I thought, this

540
00:26:02,125 --> 00:26:05,325
Speaker 2: is a hilarious film, and you know, and I don't

541
00:26:05,365 --> 00:26:07,405
Speaker 2: know why I like that so much. I wonder whether

542
00:26:07,445 --> 00:26:09,044
Speaker 2: they never made a sequel to that, because it was

543
00:26:09,084 --> 00:26:09,924
Speaker 2: really good.

544
00:26:10,205 --> 00:26:11,885
Speaker 1: It was good. Well, okay, so you and I then

545
00:26:11,925 --> 00:26:14,444
Speaker 1: have the same sense as weird offbeat humor. But then

546
00:26:14,484 --> 00:26:15,645
Speaker 1: you know where I'm coming from.

547
00:26:15,925 --> 00:26:18,164
Speaker 2: Well, I think that I know that I developed my

548
00:26:18,244 --> 00:26:21,685
Speaker 2: sense of humor as a defense mechanism. And sometimes you'll

549
00:26:21,685 --> 00:26:26,004
Speaker 2: find comedians come from very troubled childhoods because they learned

550
00:26:26,004 --> 00:26:30,165
Speaker 2: to joke and make people laugh, you know, to deal

551
00:26:30,205 --> 00:26:33,324
Speaker 2: with whatever it was they're going through. So my humor

552
00:26:33,405 --> 00:26:36,765
Speaker 2: is completely warped. And when I use humor in the pulpit,

553
00:26:36,844 --> 00:26:39,845
Speaker 2: I edit a lot of stuff out because I think

554
00:26:39,844 --> 00:26:40,285
Speaker 2: you too.

555
00:26:40,284 --> 00:26:42,124
Speaker 1: I don't want people to think I'm a complete psycho.

556
00:26:42,365 --> 00:26:45,084
Speaker 2: No, I think people might think because my humor tends

557
00:26:45,084 --> 00:26:48,524
Speaker 2: to be a little sarcastic and at times biting, so

558
00:26:48,604 --> 00:26:50,364
Speaker 2: I have to kind of pull up back and just

559
00:26:50,524 --> 00:26:52,684
Speaker 2: let the nicer humor out, you know.

560
00:26:52,764 --> 00:26:54,445
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I have learned that over time too. I

561
00:26:54,564 --> 00:26:56,685
Speaker 1: very much was somebody who thought if I could make

562
00:26:56,725 --> 00:26:59,725
Speaker 1: people laugh. As I was growing up, it helped me

563
00:26:59,885 --> 00:27:02,844
Speaker 1: to kind of ingratiate myself because I was never the

564
00:27:02,925 --> 00:27:05,405
Speaker 1: coolest kid. I never had the best clothes, we never had,

565
00:27:05,645 --> 00:27:07,325
Speaker 1: you know, a lot of money or those kinds of things.

566
00:27:07,324 --> 00:27:09,564
Speaker 1: And really it really did become a sense of humor

567
00:27:09,645 --> 00:27:12,725
Speaker 1: kind of thing for me. And often, you know, self deprecating.

568
00:27:12,804 --> 00:27:15,644
Speaker 1: If I make fun of myself or this clothing or whatever,

569
00:27:15,764 --> 00:27:18,324
Speaker 1: like I'm taking control of the laughing sort of thing.

570
00:27:18,965 --> 00:27:21,164
Speaker 1: And it did become sort of a defense mechanism I

571
00:27:21,165 --> 00:27:23,684
Speaker 1: had to learn. And I really started to learn this

572
00:27:23,764 --> 00:27:26,405
Speaker 1: with friendships and things in college, Like you can let

573
00:27:26,405 --> 00:27:28,644
Speaker 1: that down. You don't have to be the funny person

574
00:27:28,685 --> 00:27:30,684
Speaker 1: all the time. You don't have to be sarcastic to

575
00:27:30,725 --> 00:27:33,445
Speaker 1: protect yourself all the time. That it was a little

576
00:27:33,445 --> 00:27:34,284
Speaker 1: bit of a wall for me.

577
00:27:34,685 --> 00:27:39,724
Speaker 2: Yeah, So a couple questions and I'm done, Thank you

578
00:27:39,804 --> 00:27:44,244
Speaker 2: for coming on my podcast. What if an older Shannon

579
00:27:44,405 --> 00:27:47,405
Speaker 2: could speak to a other younger Shannon, what advice would

580
00:27:47,405 --> 00:27:48,244
Speaker 2: you give yourself?

581
00:27:49,284 --> 00:27:51,725
Speaker 1: I would say, if I'm talking back to myself in

582
00:27:51,764 --> 00:27:54,685
Speaker 1: time into my twenties my teens, those kinds of places

583
00:27:55,365 --> 00:27:57,564
Speaker 1: like don't be in such a hurry. Wow, the Lord

584
00:27:57,604 --> 00:27:59,925
Speaker 1: has got everything figured out. You don't have to figure

585
00:27:59,965 --> 00:28:02,804
Speaker 1: everything out. You can trust him. He's a good father.

586
00:28:02,965 --> 00:28:05,044
Speaker 1: He's a good God, and you're going to go through

587
00:28:05,044 --> 00:28:10,964
Speaker 1: some really tough valleys physically, professionally, personally, but it's all

588
00:28:11,004 --> 00:28:14,084
Speaker 1: weaving together. Just like we talked about earlier. There's purpose

589
00:28:14,244 --> 00:28:16,044
Speaker 1: and all of it. I think our God is too

590
00:28:16,165 --> 00:28:18,885
Speaker 1: good to put us or allow us to walk through

591
00:28:18,925 --> 00:28:22,685
Speaker 1: pain without purpose. So just hang in there. You don't

592
00:28:22,725 --> 00:28:25,004
Speaker 1: have to achieve everything by the time you're twenty five.

593
00:28:25,165 --> 00:28:27,165
Speaker 1: Just rest in the fact that he's got a plan.

594
00:28:27,244 --> 00:28:30,405
Speaker 2: That's really good advice. And the scripture says the lines

595
00:28:30,405 --> 00:28:33,924
Speaker 2: of fallen and pleasant places, and I think you have

596
00:28:34,004 --> 00:28:36,244
Speaker 2: to live a little bit of life to see that

597
00:28:36,484 --> 00:28:41,245
Speaker 2: and then look back. We mentioned Joseph earlier said to

598
00:28:41,245 --> 00:28:43,285
Speaker 2: his brothers, you mean are for evil, but God meant

599
00:28:43,325 --> 00:28:47,045
Speaker 2: it for good to save many people alive. Well, I

600
00:28:47,084 --> 00:28:48,884
Speaker 2: don't know how he felt when he was sitting in

601
00:28:48,885 --> 00:28:53,285
Speaker 2: that prison cell after being falsely accused of rape, but

602
00:28:53,604 --> 00:28:57,885
Speaker 2: you know he was really faithful and could look back

603
00:28:57,925 --> 00:29:02,765
Speaker 2: in retrospect. So you've accepted Christ into your life. Is

604
00:29:02,805 --> 00:29:05,684
Speaker 2: that something you did when you were very young or

605
00:29:05,685 --> 00:29:06,884
Speaker 2: did it happen later for you?

606
00:29:07,685 --> 00:29:09,765
Speaker 1: Yeah? I was pretty young, Like I said, I was

607
00:29:10,045 --> 00:29:11,965
Speaker 1: very blessed to grow up in a home that was

608
00:29:12,205 --> 00:29:14,725
Speaker 1: a Christian home. That church was the center of our

609
00:29:14,805 --> 00:29:16,725
Speaker 1: social life. And so I had a lot of good

610
00:29:16,765 --> 00:29:19,964
Speaker 1: friends and extra parents and mentors and people who were

611
00:29:20,005 --> 00:29:22,404
Speaker 1: also growing in their faith. And I went to Christian

612
00:29:22,445 --> 00:29:24,164
Speaker 1: school K through twelve, and then you mentioned I went

613
00:29:24,205 --> 00:29:26,684
Speaker 1: to Liberty University for college, and so all of those

614
00:29:26,725 --> 00:29:29,005
Speaker 1: things are such a blessing and planting roots in me.

615
00:29:29,965 --> 00:29:31,844
Speaker 1: And as much as I was involved in church and

616
00:29:31,925 --> 00:29:34,165
Speaker 1: youth group and all of those things, it was when

617
00:29:34,165 --> 00:29:36,325
Speaker 1: I was at a summer camp about twelve thirteen years

618
00:29:36,325 --> 00:29:40,165
Speaker 1: old that I realized this has to be personal. I

619
00:29:40,205 --> 00:29:42,445
Speaker 1: can't just be on the cotails of what my mom

620
00:29:42,525 --> 00:29:45,725
Speaker 1: believes or what I've memorized, even memorizing verses are knowing

621
00:29:45,765 --> 00:29:49,205
Speaker 1: about Jesus. This has to be me saying I accept

622
00:29:49,245 --> 00:29:51,964
Speaker 1: what you did for me and your sacrifice on the cross.

623
00:29:52,005 --> 00:29:55,124
Speaker 1: You're what covers my sins, and I give you my

624
00:29:55,245 --> 00:29:58,045
Speaker 1: life and accept you as my savior. And so I

625
00:29:58,084 --> 00:30:01,164
Speaker 1: really got that as a personal decision in those early

626
00:30:01,645 --> 00:30:03,685
Speaker 1: teen years and made that commitment. There.

627
00:30:04,125 --> 00:30:07,125
Speaker 2: A lot of young people make deeper commitments to Christ

628
00:30:07,205 --> 00:30:11,125
Speaker 2: at Christian camps you know happens often, So why would

629
00:30:11,205 --> 00:30:14,085
Speaker 2: you say a person should If someone's watching this right

630
00:30:14,165 --> 00:30:18,685
Speaker 2: now and they don't have this relationship with Christ, why

631
00:30:18,725 --> 00:30:21,125
Speaker 2: would you say they should have one.

632
00:30:21,485 --> 00:30:24,604
Speaker 1: Because everything else you chase or this world puts in

633
00:30:24,604 --> 00:30:26,765
Speaker 1: front of you as the thing that will make you

634
00:30:26,925 --> 00:30:30,725
Speaker 1: happy or give you peace, will never do that. He

635
00:30:30,844 --> 00:30:34,725
Speaker 1: loves you beyond anything you can probably understand, and he

636
00:30:34,765 --> 00:30:37,205
Speaker 1: made you and wants to be in relationship with you.

637
00:30:37,525 --> 00:30:40,165
Speaker 1: He will not wipe out every storm and every struggle

638
00:30:40,325 --> 00:30:42,924
Speaker 1: in your life, but he will be faithful to have

639
00:30:42,965 --> 00:30:46,364
Speaker 1: his arms around you and walk you through it. Whether

640
00:30:46,405 --> 00:30:48,485
Speaker 1: you lose someone you love or a job, or get

641
00:30:48,525 --> 00:30:52,404
Speaker 1: a terrible diagnosis, You're never going to be alone in that.

642
00:30:52,725 --> 00:30:56,725
Speaker 1: And you can have eternal peace that passes any fame

643
00:30:56,844 --> 00:30:59,885
Speaker 1: or fortune, or home or boat or car, or a

644
00:30:59,925 --> 00:31:02,205
Speaker 1: ward that you could ever get. You can keep chasing

645
00:31:02,285 --> 00:31:05,445
Speaker 1: those things and you will always feel some round of emptiness.

646
00:31:05,725 --> 00:31:10,205
Speaker 1: But if you want to know unconditional love and security,

647
00:31:11,125 --> 00:31:13,364
Speaker 1: He's just waiting for you. He loves you so much

648
00:31:13,445 --> 00:31:14,725
Speaker 1: and he just wants you to know that.

649
00:31:15,325 --> 00:31:18,645
Speaker 2: Well said, Thanks so much for your time, Shannon. God

650
00:31:18,685 --> 00:31:22,245
Speaker 2: bless you, God bless your new book and all that

651
00:31:22,325 --> 00:31:22,685
Speaker 2: you do.

652
00:31:23,325 --> 00:31:25,445
Speaker 1: Pastor Greg, thank you so much and for all that

653
00:31:25,485 --> 00:31:25,845
Speaker 1: you do,