1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,480 S1: Hi friends. Thanks so much for downloading this podcast, and 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:06,000 S1: I hope truly that you will hear something that will encourage, edify, equip, 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,360 S1: and enlighten you to get out there and influence and 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,040 S1: occupy until he comes. And on that note, may I 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,080 S1: take just a few moments here to describe this month's 6 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,920 S1: truth tool? It's by pastor Jack Hibbs. He's written the 7 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,040 S1: book called Called to Take a Bold Stand. I absolutely 8 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,520 S1: love this book because it reminds us that in Christ 9 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,480 S1: all things pass away. All things become new, that we 10 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,240 S1: are standing for his truth, that we have a new nature. 11 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,080 S1: Because of him, we should be living boldly. But far 12 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,120 S1: too often we retreat out of fear from cultural blowback. 13 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,600 S1: So I want to encourage all of us to just 14 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,800 S1: stand up for Christ, to be unashamed of who we 15 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,120 S1: are in him, and to go into a culture that's 16 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,600 S1: telling us in no uncertain terms. They're lost and they're hurting. 17 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,760 S1: So if you'd like a copy of Pastor Hibbs new 18 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,400 S1: book called Call to Take a Bold Stand, just give 19 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,720 S1: a gift of any amount by calling eight, seven, seven. 20 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,680 S1: Janet 58. We are listener supported radio, and this is 21 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:55,640 S1: my way of saying thank you. So that number again 22 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,200 S1: is 877 Janet 58. Or you can go online in 23 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,100 S1: the market with Janet dot o r g. Go to 24 00:01:02,140 --> 00:01:04,180 S1: the bottom of the page. There's the cover of Pastor 25 00:01:04,180 --> 00:01:06,700 S1: Jack's book. Click it on. Give a gift and you'll 26 00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:08,179 S1: be good to go. And we'll send you a copy 27 00:01:08,180 --> 00:01:10,060 S1: as a way of saying thank you. Don't forget, you 28 00:01:10,060 --> 00:01:12,539 S1: can also become a partial partner. Those are people who 29 00:01:12,540 --> 00:01:15,179 S1: give every single month at a level of their own choosing. 30 00:01:15,220 --> 00:01:17,180 S1: My way of saying thank you to the partial partners 31 00:01:17,180 --> 00:01:18,780 S1: is to make sure you get a copy of each 32 00:01:18,819 --> 00:01:21,620 S1: month's truth tool, and you get our weekly newsletter, which 33 00:01:21,660 --> 00:01:24,300 S1: includes some of my writing and an audio piece only 34 00:01:24,300 --> 00:01:26,780 S1: for my partial partners. So whether it's a one time 35 00:01:26,780 --> 00:01:28,619 S1: gift or you want to be an ongoing giver and 36 00:01:28,620 --> 00:01:30,899 S1: become a partial partner, that's your call. But I want 37 00:01:30,940 --> 00:01:34,060 S1: to thank you in advance. Eight seven, seven Janet 58. 38 00:01:34,060 --> 00:01:37,340 S1: Or online at In the Market with Janet Parshall. Now 39 00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:39,140 S1: please enjoy the broadcast. 40 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:42,059 S2: Here are some of the news headlines we're watching. 41 00:01:42,340 --> 00:01:44,580 S3: The conference was over. The president won a pledge. 42 00:01:44,780 --> 00:01:46,819 S4: Americans worshiping government over God. 43 00:01:47,140 --> 00:01:50,540 S5: Extremely rare safety move by a 17 years. 44 00:01:50,540 --> 00:01:52,620 S4: The Palestinians and Israelis negotiated. 45 00:02:08,210 --> 00:02:10,930 S1: Hi friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Partial. 46 00:02:10,930 --> 00:02:14,050 S1: So glad we're going to spend the hour together. You know, 47 00:02:14,090 --> 00:02:17,450 S1: we read in Scripture and sometimes we're surprised when the 48 00:02:17,450 --> 00:02:20,730 S1: reality that we read in Scripture becomes our reality, that 49 00:02:20,730 --> 00:02:24,570 S1: not if when those fiery trials come and that in 50 00:02:24,570 --> 00:02:28,330 S1: this life we will have lots of tears and trials, 51 00:02:28,330 --> 00:02:30,650 S1: and there will be periods of time where we don't 52 00:02:30,650 --> 00:02:33,250 S1: know how we're able to draw our next breath because 53 00:02:33,250 --> 00:02:37,130 S1: we've been laid so low by a tragedy or a loss. 54 00:02:37,450 --> 00:02:40,930 S1: And yet when those moments happen is the first question 55 00:02:40,930 --> 00:02:44,810 S1: that you ask God, I trust you. Help me. Or 56 00:02:44,850 --> 00:02:47,410 S1: is the first question you ask is, Where is God? 57 00:02:47,450 --> 00:02:50,690 S1: I'm all alone. We're going to talk about why we 58 00:02:50,690 --> 00:02:54,050 S1: need to know that Jesus will always be there for us, 59 00:02:54,050 --> 00:02:56,850 S1: that he will never leave us or forsake us. We 60 00:02:56,910 --> 00:02:59,149 S1: read those verses in Sunday School in a church. We 61 00:02:59,150 --> 00:03:01,870 S1: underlie them with magic marker in our Scripture. But yet 62 00:03:01,870 --> 00:03:05,070 S1: when life comes along and knocks us off our feet 63 00:03:05,070 --> 00:03:08,669 S1: in the most imaginable and horrific way, at least from 64 00:03:08,669 --> 00:03:11,230 S1: a mortal's perspective, we think it's the most terrific way 65 00:03:11,790 --> 00:03:14,829 S1: we really and truly at that time discover whose we 66 00:03:14,830 --> 00:03:17,430 S1: are and whether or not God can be trusted, and 67 00:03:17,430 --> 00:03:19,390 S1: whether or not the promises of His Word can be 68 00:03:19,389 --> 00:03:22,390 S1: relied upon, and whether or not that he has plans 69 00:03:22,389 --> 00:03:24,750 S1: for our welfare and not our destruction, because he's given 70 00:03:24,750 --> 00:03:26,270 S1: us a hope and a future. We love to quote 71 00:03:26,270 --> 00:03:28,790 S1: that verse. It's painted on wooden signs you can buy 72 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:31,910 S1: at a store and put it in your kitchen. Jeremiah. 73 00:03:31,910 --> 00:03:34,270 S1: But then when it comes along and knocks us off 74 00:03:34,270 --> 00:03:36,990 S1: our feet, do we really believe that? Well, I have 75 00:03:36,990 --> 00:03:39,070 S1: read from cover to cover a book that just took 76 00:03:39,070 --> 00:03:41,830 S1: my breath away. It's entitled and she Got Up Shattered 77 00:03:41,830 --> 00:03:45,310 S1: by Loss, restored by Jesus. And the author of that 78 00:03:45,310 --> 00:03:47,870 S1: book is Courtney Prado, who's joining us this hour. She 79 00:03:47,910 --> 00:03:50,910 S1: is a marvelous author. She is a tremendous speaker. And 80 00:03:50,910 --> 00:03:53,030 S1: I'm not going to say anything more about that, because 81 00:03:53,070 --> 00:03:56,730 S1: this story, this book Really sets the stage for who 82 00:03:56,770 --> 00:04:00,730 S1: Courtney is now versus who she was. And it tells 83 00:04:00,730 --> 00:04:03,650 S1: you again how Jesus can heal us and take us 84 00:04:03,650 --> 00:04:06,650 S1: out of our circumstances. So, Courtney, thank you so much 85 00:04:06,650 --> 00:04:09,330 S1: for joining me. Um, I have to tell you, it 86 00:04:09,330 --> 00:04:11,330 S1: was a, it was a tough read. I dog eared, 87 00:04:11,330 --> 00:04:15,130 S1: I underlined, I went back, I stopped, um, I'm going 88 00:04:15,130 --> 00:04:18,089 S1: to get choked up talking about this. You, you wrote 89 00:04:18,089 --> 00:04:20,849 S1: it about an incident that happened so years ago. But 90 00:04:20,850 --> 00:04:22,770 S1: what I kept thinking over and over again as I 91 00:04:22,770 --> 00:04:25,970 S1: was reading the book is how does Courtney remember the 92 00:04:25,970 --> 00:04:29,250 S1: minutiae of the detail of what was going on? That's 93 00:04:29,250 --> 00:04:34,089 S1: just a 3000 35,000 foot question. But you it's it's 94 00:04:34,089 --> 00:04:37,490 S1: the mid 2020s right now. And you wrote this in the, 95 00:04:37,850 --> 00:04:40,090 S1: this experience that you write about took place in the 96 00:04:40,089 --> 00:04:43,650 S1: early 20s. And you remember it was such a detail. 97 00:04:43,650 --> 00:04:44,729 S1: How could you do that? 98 00:04:45,130 --> 00:04:47,770 S6: Yeah. Hi, Janet. Thank you for having me. I'm so 99 00:04:47,770 --> 00:04:51,330 S6: honored to be on today. Um, you know, I, I 100 00:04:51,490 --> 00:04:54,870 S6: wrote down so much of my journey within my journals. 101 00:04:55,070 --> 00:04:59,270 S6: And so I kept a documentation of the things that 102 00:04:59,270 --> 00:05:02,750 S6: I was going through in real time. And, you know, 103 00:05:02,790 --> 00:05:06,070 S6: these were moments that marked me. They marked me forever. 104 00:05:06,190 --> 00:05:08,190 S6: And as much as I wanted to forget some of it, 105 00:05:08,190 --> 00:05:10,830 S6: I there's no way I could I could forget it 106 00:05:11,150 --> 00:05:15,790 S6: because the, the the fires were so hot. And what 107 00:05:15,790 --> 00:05:19,669 S6: was being formed inside of me was something so real 108 00:05:20,110 --> 00:05:24,150 S6: and so palpable of experiencing God in a way that 109 00:05:24,150 --> 00:05:28,670 S6: I had never experienced him up until that point. And 110 00:05:28,670 --> 00:05:32,630 S6: so for me, I documenting and journaling was such a 111 00:05:32,630 --> 00:05:36,670 S6: pivotal part of going back to remember when I, when 112 00:05:36,670 --> 00:05:38,670 S6: I sat down to, to write this book. 113 00:05:39,830 --> 00:05:42,830 S1: Yeah. And thank you for keeping the journal. It, it 114 00:05:42,830 --> 00:05:44,950 S1: was a labor of love. It had to be a task. 115 00:05:44,950 --> 00:05:46,390 S1: There were days when I don't know if you had 116 00:05:46,390 --> 00:05:48,830 S1: the strength to pick up your pen, but yet you 117 00:05:48,870 --> 00:05:51,270 S1: journaled nonetheless. And we are the better for it because 118 00:05:51,270 --> 00:05:54,500 S1: you remind us who Jesus is. So tell me before 119 00:05:54,540 --> 00:05:57,020 S1: before Andrew comes into your life. I want to know 120 00:05:57,020 --> 00:05:59,419 S1: what life was like for you growing up. Did you 121 00:05:59,460 --> 00:06:01,140 S1: grow up in a Christian home? When did you come 122 00:06:01,140 --> 00:06:02,860 S1: to know Christ as your personal Savior? 123 00:06:03,420 --> 00:06:05,460 S6: I did, I grew up in a Christian home. My 124 00:06:05,460 --> 00:06:09,460 S6: parents sang in the choir. My parents sang in the choir, 125 00:06:09,460 --> 00:06:12,820 S6: and I loved Jesus. I can remember being a little 126 00:06:12,820 --> 00:06:18,339 S6: girl and hearing about Jesus every Sunday and learning about 127 00:06:18,339 --> 00:06:20,020 S6: him and growing. And then I went to a Billy 128 00:06:20,020 --> 00:06:23,660 S6: Graham crusade when I was about 5 or 6 years old, 129 00:06:24,180 --> 00:06:28,340 S6: and I can remember being so stirred and I didn't, 130 00:06:28,380 --> 00:06:30,979 S6: you know, I was so young and I didn't understand it, 131 00:06:30,980 --> 00:06:33,460 S6: but the Spirit of God was already begin to just 132 00:06:33,460 --> 00:06:37,060 S6: stir this, this hunger and this need inside of me. 133 00:06:37,380 --> 00:06:40,859 S6: So fast forward a few years. Um, I was living 134 00:06:40,860 --> 00:06:46,660 S6: in Springdale, Arkansas, and, um, I, we had, uh, we 135 00:06:46,660 --> 00:06:49,979 S6: were plugged into a church there that was just alive 136 00:06:50,580 --> 00:06:54,480 S6: and when I was 12 years old, I surrendered my 137 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,480 S6: life to Jesus fully. And I, I would say that 138 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,240 S6: that was the day I was saved. October 9th, 1995. 139 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,839 S6: I'll never forget it. Wow. Because I remember saying, Jesus, 140 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,279 S6: here's my life. I'm yours. And it is a privilege 141 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,480 S6: to follow you. And I told him I would follow 142 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,560 S6: him anywhere and everywhere. And, um, so I had a 143 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,360 S6: lot of, I had a lot of footing and backing, 144 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,800 S6: you know, before tragedy struck. 145 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,720 S1: That is exactly why I asked you the question, Courtney, 146 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,840 S1: because I really want to encourage our friends. Don't delay 147 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,040 S1: getting to know him deeply, because when these storms come, 148 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:30,800 S1: if you don't know him, it's not the same as 149 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:32,960 S1: having walked with him and being able to press in. 150 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,080 S1: As awful as the circumstances might be. You know him. 151 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:37,640 S1: You know his word. You know where to go. You 152 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,200 S1: know where he can be found if you don't. Boy, 153 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,160 S1: those howling winds can throw you off foot. So I 154 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,120 S1: want to encourage people. Don't put off spending time in 155 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,840 S1: the word. Don't put off getting to know him. Because 156 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,180 S1: everybody within the sound of my voice is voices in 157 00:07:50,180 --> 00:07:52,540 S1: one of three places. Today you're about to go into 158 00:07:52,540 --> 00:07:55,380 S1: the refiner's fire. You join me in the refiner's fire, 159 00:07:55,380 --> 00:07:57,820 S1: or you've just walked out a changed person. That is 160 00:07:57,820 --> 00:08:00,660 S1: the cycle of life. East of Eden before he calls 161 00:08:00,660 --> 00:08:02,900 S1: us home. So it's why I love talking to people 162 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:06,300 S1: like Courtney. Because if God can walk Courtney through her 163 00:08:06,300 --> 00:08:09,100 S1: experience and she can come out praising his name, he 164 00:08:09,100 --> 00:08:11,900 S1: can do that for every single one of us. So 165 00:08:11,900 --> 00:08:14,220 S1: thank you for answering that question by way of background. 166 00:08:14,220 --> 00:08:17,540 S1: So what I love is that this Andrew fellow was 167 00:08:17,540 --> 00:08:20,020 S1: in your life pretty early on. Talk to me about him. 168 00:08:20,340 --> 00:08:22,700 S6: He was I was in the third grade. He was 169 00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:26,100 S6: in the fourth grade when we met. And so I 170 00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:30,820 S6: could still remember seeing this chubby little kid. And, um, 171 00:08:31,140 --> 00:08:34,140 S6: you know, we, we, we knew each other and we 172 00:08:34,140 --> 00:08:38,300 S6: were friends, but, um, as we got a little bit older, we, 173 00:08:38,700 --> 00:08:41,459 S6: you know, we realized really quickly that we were more 174 00:08:41,460 --> 00:08:44,900 S6: than friends. And so we, you know, the term going out, 175 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:47,100 S6: I don't know where we were going because we, we 176 00:08:47,140 --> 00:08:49,689 S6: couldn't go anywhere. We couldn't drive. But but we were 177 00:08:49,690 --> 00:08:54,010 S6: going out and, you know, it was a really unique 178 00:08:54,010 --> 00:08:58,770 S6: and rare. Sweet, beautiful friendship that we shared. 179 00:08:59,170 --> 00:09:00,890 S1: Yes. And what a place to take a break. Let 180 00:09:00,890 --> 00:09:03,010 S1: me pick it up at exactly that point. And this 181 00:09:03,010 --> 00:09:05,449 S1: is what I mean about your giftedness as a writer, Courtney, 182 00:09:05,450 --> 00:09:08,050 S1: because you feel like you have the privilege of being 183 00:09:08,050 --> 00:09:11,570 S1: a quiet observer into the development of this relationship between 184 00:09:11,570 --> 00:09:13,729 S1: you and Andrew and the way in which you communicated 185 00:09:13,730 --> 00:09:15,929 S1: with each other and the things you said and how 186 00:09:15,929 --> 00:09:17,770 S1: you encouraged one another. So I want to know more 187 00:09:17,770 --> 00:09:20,290 S1: about Andrew when we get back. I'm telling you, this 188 00:09:20,290 --> 00:09:23,530 S1: is a powerful, powerful book. It's called And She Got Up. 189 00:09:23,650 --> 00:09:26,410 S1: It's written by Courtney Produc. We're just getting started with 190 00:09:26,410 --> 00:09:29,610 S1: her story. If you're hurting today, maybe you're not listening 191 00:09:29,610 --> 00:09:32,569 S1: by accident. Maybe God's called you here to remind you 192 00:09:32,610 --> 00:09:35,850 S1: that he's present and he cares, and he can raise 193 00:09:35,850 --> 00:09:46,450 S1: you up as well. Back after this. Are you living 194 00:09:46,450 --> 00:09:49,230 S1: with a biblically based, passionate faith? Or are you pulling 195 00:09:49,230 --> 00:09:51,830 S1: back from letting your light shine? That's why I've chosen 196 00:09:51,830 --> 00:09:54,270 S1: Cole to take a bold stand as this month's truth tool. 197 00:09:54,309 --> 00:09:56,670 S1: Learn how to influence the culture for Christ in a 198 00:09:56,670 --> 00:09:59,390 S1: transformative way. As for your copy of call to take 199 00:09:59,390 --> 00:10:01,030 S1: a bold stand when you give a gift of any 200 00:10:01,030 --> 00:10:05,229 S1: amount to. In the market, call 877. Janet 58. That's 877. 201 00:10:05,230 --> 00:10:07,710 S1: Janet 58. Or go to in the market with Janet 202 00:10:08,110 --> 00:10:12,670 S1: dot o r g. We have the privilege of spending 203 00:10:12,670 --> 00:10:14,870 S1: the hour with Courtney pray Duke and her brand new 204 00:10:14,870 --> 00:10:18,030 S1: book is called. And she Got Up. She didn't set 205 00:10:18,030 --> 00:10:20,150 S1: out to write this book. This is her story. This 206 00:10:20,150 --> 00:10:22,950 S1: is her life story. And it is one filled with pain, 207 00:10:22,950 --> 00:10:26,350 S1: but also it's also a story with redemption and how 208 00:10:26,510 --> 00:10:30,069 S1: he will put back the years the locusts have destroyed. 209 00:10:30,350 --> 00:10:32,390 S1: And it is a powerful story of a reminder that 210 00:10:32,390 --> 00:10:34,910 S1: even if you're down, if you're out, if you think 211 00:10:34,910 --> 00:10:38,150 S1: he's nowhere to be found, you can rise up again. 212 00:10:38,190 --> 00:10:40,350 S1: And it's a powerful story. And I know a person 213 00:10:40,350 --> 00:10:43,550 S1: inside my voice, within the shot of my voice who 214 00:10:43,550 --> 00:10:45,929 S1: cannot be moved by this particular story. So I want 215 00:10:45,970 --> 00:10:48,810 S1: to go back to Andrew. And nothing like meeting your 216 00:10:48,809 --> 00:10:51,850 S1: future husband in third grade, which I absolutely love. And 217 00:10:51,850 --> 00:10:53,890 S1: you start, quote, going out, which I love, but neither 218 00:10:53,890 --> 00:10:55,850 S1: one of you can drive at this point, but you 219 00:10:55,850 --> 00:10:58,530 S1: can tell that it's a friendship that's getting deeper and deeper. 220 00:10:58,530 --> 00:11:01,290 S1: And in fact, when Andrew wanted to take it deeper, 221 00:11:01,290 --> 00:11:03,450 S1: you weren't quite sure how things were going to change, 222 00:11:03,450 --> 00:11:05,250 S1: but you knew you wanted to spend the rest of 223 00:11:05,250 --> 00:11:07,170 S1: your life with him. So tell me, from that point 224 00:11:07,170 --> 00:11:08,090 S1: on what happened? 225 00:11:08,490 --> 00:11:11,730 S6: I did, I did, we, um, we, like I said, 226 00:11:11,730 --> 00:11:14,970 S6: we had a very rare and unique friendship that was 227 00:11:14,970 --> 00:11:18,370 S6: really God was at the center. Jesus was at the center. 228 00:11:18,370 --> 00:11:21,530 S6: And Andrew and I both felt called to the ministry 229 00:11:21,530 --> 00:11:24,770 S6: early on in life. And we were both leading worship together. 230 00:11:24,770 --> 00:11:28,010 S6: So here we are, weekly leading worship next to each 231 00:11:28,050 --> 00:11:31,850 S6: other and for our youth group. Um, week in and 232 00:11:31,850 --> 00:11:35,730 S6: week out. And we're, we're growing, we're growing up together, 233 00:11:35,730 --> 00:11:38,450 S6: but we're also growing deeper in our walks with Jesus 234 00:11:38,450 --> 00:11:42,929 S6: at the same time. And, um, when we were 19 235 00:11:42,929 --> 00:11:46,470 S6: and 20, um, well, we knew that. We got to 236 00:11:46,470 --> 00:11:48,430 S6: the point. Let me let me not rush ahead, but 237 00:11:48,429 --> 00:11:50,630 S6: we got to the point in our relationship that we 238 00:11:50,670 --> 00:11:55,910 S6: knew that God had set aside each other. Um, each week, 239 00:11:56,030 --> 00:11:59,750 S6: each other for, um, for the rest of our lives, um, 240 00:11:59,750 --> 00:12:02,990 S6: to just be sent on mission together. And, and it 241 00:12:02,990 --> 00:12:06,190 S6: was just so clear that that's what we were to do. 242 00:12:06,590 --> 00:12:09,550 S6: And so we ended up getting married very early on 243 00:12:09,550 --> 00:12:10,150 S6: in life. 244 00:12:10,950 --> 00:12:13,750 S1: Yeah, I would say, but I'm so glad that you did. 245 00:12:13,790 --> 00:12:16,589 S1: I mean, you were when you were friends because you 246 00:12:16,590 --> 00:12:18,910 S1: started to grow together as a couple. I mean, you 247 00:12:18,910 --> 00:12:21,710 S1: really knew each other as friends first and you spent 248 00:12:21,710 --> 00:12:24,350 S1: all that time together. And as it turned out. Thank you, Lord, 249 00:12:24,350 --> 00:12:26,910 S1: for that early introduction because it kind of extended the 250 00:12:26,910 --> 00:12:29,150 S1: time that you did have, which was precious and important 251 00:12:29,150 --> 00:12:31,670 S1: as well. Those babies came along fast. Talk to me 252 00:12:31,670 --> 00:12:33,030 S1: about how that changed your life. 253 00:12:33,590 --> 00:12:37,350 S6: Yeah. Well, we got married at 19 and 20, and, um, 254 00:12:37,550 --> 00:12:39,630 S6: within the first year of our marriage, we moved 12 255 00:12:39,630 --> 00:12:44,020 S6: hours away to Atlanta, Georgia, and we had our first 256 00:12:44,020 --> 00:12:47,540 S6: son close to two years, just right before our two 257 00:12:47,540 --> 00:12:50,860 S6: year wedding anniversary. We had our first son, Noah, and 258 00:12:50,860 --> 00:12:53,620 S6: he was just this beautiful baby boy. And I was 259 00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:56,940 S6: 21 years old, not having a clue of how we 260 00:12:56,940 --> 00:12:59,660 S6: were going to do this. We were we were serving 261 00:12:59,660 --> 00:13:02,100 S6: in a church. Andrew was now the worship pastor of 262 00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:06,059 S6: this church. And we were watching it grow. And, um, 263 00:13:06,179 --> 00:13:10,420 S6: then we had our daughter Halley and two years later, 264 00:13:10,420 --> 00:13:12,179 S6: and then three and a half years later, we had 265 00:13:12,179 --> 00:13:16,780 S6: our son, Carson. So now we wear a big full family. 266 00:13:16,780 --> 00:13:20,260 S6: And these babies were just rocking our world. And the 267 00:13:20,260 --> 00:13:22,540 S6: best way. Um, yes. 268 00:13:23,980 --> 00:13:26,460 S1: And I'm so thankful that they did come back to 269 00:13:26,500 --> 00:13:28,860 S1: back and you had that time. And from that point, 270 00:13:28,860 --> 00:13:30,860 S1: if you looked at the future, you would have thought, Lord, 271 00:13:30,860 --> 00:13:32,860 S1: it doesn't get any better than this. I'm married to 272 00:13:32,900 --> 00:13:35,020 S1: the love of my life. I have these three children. 273 00:13:35,020 --> 00:13:36,820 S1: And what would Andrew say to you every night before 274 00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:37,620 S1: you went to bed? 275 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:42,320 S6: Oh, we were living the dream. Every night before I would. 276 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,360 S6: We would go to bed. He would always whisper over me, 277 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,000 S6: don't forget, you're beautiful. And it was something that he 278 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,200 S6: had said to me when we were still dating. Before 279 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:54,920 S6: he would take me back home. He would just say, 280 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,719 S6: don't forget you're beautiful. Don't forget you're beautiful. And then 281 00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,920 S6: when we got married, I heard it every single night. 282 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:01,640 S6: Even on the nights when I tried to pretend to 283 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,679 S6: be asleep, I could hear him say, don't forget. You're beautiful. 284 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,480 S6: So we were living the dream. 285 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:12,520 S1: Absolutely, absolutely. And from that point on, you thought this 286 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,280 S1: was going to just only get better and better and better. 287 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,400 S1: But your life changed dramatically when he went out for 288 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,640 S1: a bike ride. Um, and he apparently sounds like he 289 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,440 S1: was a very athletic fellow. He would do this on 290 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,360 S1: a regular basis. Um, sounds like it was a very 291 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,520 S1: tuned in and compassionate husband. You're right that he would 292 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:30,800 S1: often say to you, what can I do to make 293 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,280 S1: your life easier today? I mean, what wife doesn't want 294 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:35,520 S1: to hear a husband say that, right? 295 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,280 S6: I mean, what a gift, what a gift. And he 296 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:42,340 S6: he just he always treated me with such utmost respect. 297 00:14:42,340 --> 00:14:45,460 S6: And he was such a man of honor and such 298 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:50,180 S6: an honorable person. Um, and yeah, so this, this day was, 299 00:14:50,220 --> 00:14:54,140 S6: this was no different. We were, we were simply living 300 00:14:54,140 --> 00:14:55,860 S6: the dream. And he had helped me out with the 301 00:14:55,860 --> 00:14:59,620 S6: kids that morning. Andrew was in tip top shape. So 302 00:14:59,620 --> 00:15:02,420 S6: he would go and ride century rides, which are a 303 00:15:02,420 --> 00:15:05,540 S6: hundred mile rides and something that he would do for 304 00:15:05,540 --> 00:15:08,860 S6: fun on the side to clear his head and spend 305 00:15:08,860 --> 00:15:11,020 S6: time with the Lord. He loved it. And he was 306 00:15:11,020 --> 00:15:13,140 S6: like I said, he was in such great shape, just 307 00:15:13,140 --> 00:15:18,260 S6: so fit. And um, yes, our lives changed dramatically within 308 00:15:18,620 --> 00:15:19,220 S6: a day. 309 00:15:19,380 --> 00:15:22,100 S1: Yeah. Before I get to the events of that day, 310 00:15:22,540 --> 00:15:24,300 S1: talk to me about the fact. And this is why 311 00:15:24,300 --> 00:15:25,980 S1: I go back to the reason I asked you the 312 00:15:25,980 --> 00:15:29,140 S1: question about where you were spiritually at 12. You committed 313 00:15:29,140 --> 00:15:31,620 S1: your life to the Lord. I did that exactly at 314 00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:33,500 S1: that age as well. And I remember it. It was 315 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:36,260 S1: that I'm sold out to you completely, Lord. Wherever I'm yours, 316 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:38,420 S1: send me wherever you want me to go. And I 317 00:15:38,420 --> 00:15:41,450 S1: know that before God would move us as a husband 318 00:15:41,450 --> 00:15:43,890 S1: and a wife, there would always be a stirring in 319 00:15:43,890 --> 00:15:47,570 S1: our heart. You had that stirring in your heart as well. 320 00:15:47,570 --> 00:15:49,410 S1: You called it a burning bush moment. Talk to me 321 00:15:49,410 --> 00:15:50,090 S1: about that. 322 00:15:50,290 --> 00:15:54,930 S6: Yes. Well, three months prior, I had a moment in 323 00:15:54,930 --> 00:15:56,650 S6: an encounter with God that I like to call a 324 00:15:56,650 --> 00:16:01,210 S6: burning bush moment, because it was a moment that defined 325 00:16:01,210 --> 00:16:05,210 S6: and marked my journey with Jesus. It was a moment 326 00:16:05,210 --> 00:16:09,170 S6: that changed me forever, and it was truly an encounter 327 00:16:09,170 --> 00:16:12,770 S6: with his presence of of not even being able to stand. 328 00:16:12,810 --> 00:16:16,130 S6: I remember just I was in my bedroom reading on 329 00:16:16,130 --> 00:16:18,370 S6: my way up to read my Bible, to get back 330 00:16:18,370 --> 00:16:20,210 S6: in bed and read my Bible. After taking the kids 331 00:16:20,210 --> 00:16:22,730 S6: to school, I had my coffee with me and I 332 00:16:22,730 --> 00:16:26,730 S6: just felt this overwhelming presence of the Lord. Um, just 333 00:16:26,730 --> 00:16:29,370 S6: fall on me. And I couldn't stand. So I remember 334 00:16:29,410 --> 00:16:32,090 S6: getting down on my knees on the carpet in my 335 00:16:32,090 --> 00:16:35,730 S6: bedroom and just saying, Lord, I surrender. Like here is 336 00:16:35,730 --> 00:16:40,270 S6: my life. And it was such a marker in, in, 337 00:16:40,310 --> 00:16:44,190 S6: in my, in my life story that I really was 338 00:16:44,190 --> 00:16:48,430 S6: never the same after that day. But, but, but the 339 00:16:48,470 --> 00:16:52,670 S6: months and weeks following it were, were so it was 340 00:16:52,670 --> 00:16:55,030 S6: like I couldn't run away from, from this thing that 341 00:16:55,030 --> 00:16:59,590 S6: God was pursuing me with. He was calling me in to, 342 00:16:59,630 --> 00:17:02,710 S6: to greater something greater with him. 343 00:17:02,910 --> 00:17:05,510 S1: Yeah. But you didn't know what that greater was. And 344 00:17:05,510 --> 00:17:07,510 S1: that's exactly where we'll pick the story up when we 345 00:17:07,550 --> 00:17:10,470 S1: come back. Powerful book called And She Got Up and 346 00:17:10,470 --> 00:17:12,870 S1: I love the derivation of the title. It comes right 347 00:17:12,869 --> 00:17:14,910 S1: out of scripture. And I know that Courtney can't wait 348 00:17:14,910 --> 00:17:17,949 S1: to tell you that. Tell you that as well. Again, Courtney, 349 00:17:17,990 --> 00:17:20,229 S1: pray Duke is with us this entire hour. This is 350 00:17:20,230 --> 00:17:23,230 S1: about you remembering that God, who promised he could take 351 00:17:23,230 --> 00:17:25,870 S1: beauty out of ashes, is still that same God who's 352 00:17:25,869 --> 00:17:27,909 S1: doing it today. He did it for Courtney. He can 353 00:17:27,910 --> 00:17:51,930 S1: do it for you. Back after this. Courtney Prado is 354 00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:54,889 S1: a marvelous speaker, a wonderful Bible teacher, and an author. 355 00:17:54,890 --> 00:17:57,130 S1: She joins us to talk about her book and she 356 00:17:57,130 --> 00:18:00,130 S1: got up, which is her story of going from heartbreak 357 00:18:00,130 --> 00:18:02,250 S1: to redemption. And I want to go back to this 358 00:18:02,250 --> 00:18:05,129 S1: burning bush moment that you had, because it tells us something, Courtney, 359 00:18:05,130 --> 00:18:07,850 S1: about the character of God. Um, I think a lot 360 00:18:07,850 --> 00:18:10,450 S1: of us can say that there are times in our life, 361 00:18:10,490 --> 00:18:13,209 S1: these burning bush moments in full disclosure, don't happen every day. 362 00:18:13,210 --> 00:18:16,050 S1: But when they happen, you never forget them because they 363 00:18:16,050 --> 00:18:19,610 S1: are profoundly significant. And it's like I used to call them. 364 00:18:19,609 --> 00:18:22,210 S1: I just miss the hem of his garment day where he. 365 00:18:22,210 --> 00:18:24,050 S1: I felt like he just walked past, but I had 366 00:18:24,050 --> 00:18:25,810 S1: been in his presence. So I know exactly what you're 367 00:18:25,810 --> 00:18:28,050 S1: talking about, but I want to point out the goodness 368 00:18:28,050 --> 00:18:30,929 S1: of God because you wrote in your journal and you, you, 369 00:18:30,970 --> 00:18:34,689 S1: you graciously share some of the entrances of your journal 370 00:18:34,790 --> 00:18:37,470 S1: throughout the book. And on October 21st, 2012, you wrote, 371 00:18:37,470 --> 00:18:41,830 S1: I trust you, show me the way. Your way I surrender. 372 00:18:41,830 --> 00:18:44,109 S1: And then you write that for the next three months 373 00:18:44,350 --> 00:18:46,389 S1: you had this unrest going on in your heart. You 374 00:18:46,430 --> 00:18:48,350 S1: knew that God was on the move. You knew that 375 00:18:48,350 --> 00:18:51,470 S1: something was happening. You didn't know what or where or how. 376 00:18:51,710 --> 00:18:54,429 S1: Looking back in retrospect, do you see that as the 377 00:18:54,430 --> 00:18:56,990 S1: hand of God's mercy? Because he was preparing you for 378 00:18:56,990 --> 00:19:00,270 S1: the toughest part to date for your Pilgrim's Progress? 379 00:19:00,830 --> 00:19:04,310 S6: Oh, absolutely. He was preparing me. But again, I didn't 380 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:07,229 S6: know what. I didn't know what was happening. It was this. 381 00:19:07,510 --> 00:19:09,870 S6: It was this wrestle. It was this pull. It was 382 00:19:09,869 --> 00:19:13,550 S6: this calling. And all I could do. The only response 383 00:19:13,550 --> 00:19:16,150 S6: that I could come up with was to put my 384 00:19:16,150 --> 00:19:19,350 S6: hands in the air every, every day and just say, Lord, 385 00:19:19,390 --> 00:19:22,869 S6: I surrender. My life is yours. And so whatever it 386 00:19:22,869 --> 00:19:25,949 S6: is you're doing, my answer is yes. So I didn't 387 00:19:25,950 --> 00:19:28,350 S6: know what was happening, but I wanted him to know 388 00:19:28,350 --> 00:19:30,390 S6: that I wanted to go with him. 389 00:19:31,310 --> 00:19:35,100 S1: Wherever he would send you on that morning in November, 390 00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:37,459 S1: when Andrew was about to go out for his ride. 391 00:19:37,460 --> 00:19:41,780 S1: You write with such compassion and such clarity that you 392 00:19:41,780 --> 00:19:43,660 S1: looked at Andrew and you looked him in the face, 393 00:19:43,660 --> 00:19:46,300 S1: and you said that there was a soft glow around 394 00:19:46,300 --> 00:19:49,780 S1: his face. You'd never seen that before. Again, looking back, 395 00:19:49,780 --> 00:19:51,540 S1: what do you think that was in retrospect? 396 00:19:52,780 --> 00:19:55,700 S6: You know what? I've often thought about that. And when 397 00:19:55,700 --> 00:19:57,780 S6: I close my eyes, I can still see his face. 398 00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:01,179 S6: And it just had this soft filter, this glow. It 399 00:20:01,180 --> 00:20:03,780 S6: was almost angelic. So when I when I think about 400 00:20:03,780 --> 00:20:07,780 S6: it all of these years later, I couldn't help but think, 401 00:20:07,820 --> 00:20:12,060 S6: did he know? You know, without knowing he was about 402 00:20:12,060 --> 00:20:15,780 S6: to meet Jesus, did he somehow know? And. And that 403 00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:18,660 S6: will always be a mystery. But there was a heavenly 404 00:20:18,660 --> 00:20:22,540 S6: presence over him that I had of all the years. 405 00:20:22,540 --> 00:20:25,300 S6: Now I was 29 years old. He. He had just 406 00:20:25,300 --> 00:20:29,420 S6: turned 30 years old. And of all of the years 407 00:20:29,420 --> 00:20:32,200 S6: we were together I had never seen that on his face. 408 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:37,800 S6: So it struck me as I was talking to him and, um. 409 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,240 S6: It was something divine. 410 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,800 S1: Yeah, yeah. No other way to describe it. Absolutely. And note, 411 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:46,960 S1: it's three months to the date that you had this 412 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:50,800 S1: burning bush experience. It is now November 21st. He goes 413 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,400 S1: off to take one of his rides, which was stereotypical 414 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,199 S1: for what he did. You had no idea whatsoever that 415 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:57,840 S1: that would be the last time that you would ever 416 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,359 S1: see him alive. I, I read that and I thought 417 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,240 S1: what a merciful, kind God that he gave you that 418 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:07,960 S1: picture of Andrew with that soft. Filter that you said. Um, 419 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,480 S1: and that would be the last physical opportunity you'd get 420 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,520 S1: to see him this time of glory. But it was 421 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:15,280 S1: so indelibly imprinted into your mind, into your heart, that 422 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:17,320 S1: to this day, you still see it. I see that 423 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:18,480 S1: as a gift from the Lord. 424 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,440 S6: Mhm. That is, it is such a gift from the Lord. 425 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:26,040 S1: Wow. So this horrible day, uh, you when I talked, 426 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:27,919 S1: when I started in our conversation about the way in 427 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,020 S1: which you write and the way in which you remember details, Um, 428 00:21:31,060 --> 00:21:33,420 S1: this is a terrible thing to say, but we are 429 00:21:33,420 --> 00:21:36,219 S1: a visual society overall. We don't read books anymore the 430 00:21:36,220 --> 00:21:39,100 S1: way we should. But when I read someone who really 431 00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:42,379 S1: is gifted in writing, their book becomes a moving picture. 432 00:21:42,619 --> 00:21:46,460 S1: And I was watching the moving pictures in real time 433 00:21:46,580 --> 00:21:50,020 S1: on that fateful day in November. You remember all of it, 434 00:21:50,060 --> 00:21:52,740 S1: what it was like. I there were times reading about 435 00:21:52,740 --> 00:21:55,020 S1: how you knew how you got the word. You had 436 00:21:55,020 --> 00:21:56,940 S1: to go to the hospital. You had three babies, one 437 00:21:56,980 --> 00:22:00,020 S1: on your hip in diapers with peanut butter smeared on her, 438 00:22:00,100 --> 00:22:03,180 S1: on him, and you had to get to the hospital, 439 00:22:03,460 --> 00:22:07,060 S1: and yet you had to be a mom immediately, but 440 00:22:07,060 --> 00:22:09,620 S1: you had to get to the hospital somehow to make 441 00:22:09,660 --> 00:22:11,820 S1: sure that it was in fact, Andrew, you kept thinking, 442 00:22:11,820 --> 00:22:14,899 S1: he'll be fine. I'll see him. He'll still be awake. What? 443 00:22:14,940 --> 00:22:18,340 S1: I don't, I don't even. You write with eloquence and clarity. 444 00:22:18,380 --> 00:22:21,100 S1: How what do you do at that point for people 445 00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:25,100 S1: who are at the very, very bottom when you're in 446 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:27,659 S1: the lion's den, when you're at the bottom of the ocean, Jonah, 447 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:29,770 S1: when you're at the lowest point that you can get. 448 00:22:29,770 --> 00:22:32,890 S1: You've just lost the soulmate, and the father of your 449 00:22:32,890 --> 00:22:37,090 S1: three children had just turned 30. And how do you 450 00:22:37,090 --> 00:22:38,570 S1: take your next breath? And how do you know how 451 00:22:38,570 --> 00:22:40,170 S1: to put one step in front of the other? 452 00:22:41,050 --> 00:22:43,730 S6: Well, I didn't. It felt it felt like in an 453 00:22:43,730 --> 00:22:47,210 S6: instant a bomb had detonated in our lives and our 454 00:22:47,530 --> 00:22:52,170 S6: hearts were shattered into a million broken pieces. So now 455 00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:54,609 S6: we had just. I just lost the love of my life, 456 00:22:54,650 --> 00:22:57,169 S6: my best friend, the one that I had spent over 457 00:22:57,170 --> 00:23:00,290 S6: half of my life with up to this point. And 458 00:23:00,290 --> 00:23:03,450 S6: now I've got three children that are fatherless, that have 459 00:23:03,450 --> 00:23:07,530 S6: broken hearts. And you know what, Janet? On that day, 460 00:23:07,690 --> 00:23:11,490 S6: I can remember the sky being so blue and thinking, 461 00:23:11,490 --> 00:23:15,570 S6: how are people going on? Our life just blew up. 462 00:23:15,970 --> 00:23:19,810 S6: But here's here's the thing. I remember not knowing what 463 00:23:19,850 --> 00:23:23,010 S6: to say. I felt disoriented, it felt like we had 464 00:23:23,010 --> 00:23:26,690 S6: been turned upside down. It felt like the world had just. 465 00:23:27,310 --> 00:23:31,990 S6: And it just went black and white. There was no color. 466 00:23:32,270 --> 00:23:34,510 S6: It was like all of a sudden, life as we 467 00:23:34,550 --> 00:23:37,430 S6: knew it. It changed within a matter of seconds in 468 00:23:37,430 --> 00:23:41,150 S6: a phone call. And I can remember grabbing my kids 469 00:23:41,390 --> 00:23:44,030 S6: on the hospital park, on the parking lot of the 470 00:23:44,030 --> 00:23:47,710 S6: hospital and getting on our knees. And I remember saying, Lord, 471 00:23:48,109 --> 00:23:51,510 S6: I don't know what you're doing, but I trust you. 472 00:23:52,230 --> 00:23:54,910 S6: And that's the only thing that I knew I could 473 00:23:54,910 --> 00:23:56,190 S6: say in that moment. 474 00:23:58,869 --> 00:24:01,510 S1: And that's so that's a that's the choice of the will. 475 00:24:01,510 --> 00:24:04,110 S1: I want to underscore this because how you reacted is 476 00:24:04,109 --> 00:24:07,590 S1: not how everyone would react. You were able to say, Lord, 477 00:24:07,590 --> 00:24:10,350 S1: I trust you because you'd walked with him. You'd spent 478 00:24:10,350 --> 00:24:13,110 S1: time in his word. You'd heard from him before you 479 00:24:13,109 --> 00:24:16,030 S1: had that burning bush experience three months earlier. He was 480 00:24:16,030 --> 00:24:19,310 S1: a god that you knew by name. He knew you 481 00:24:19,310 --> 00:24:21,630 S1: by name. And all you had to do in that 482 00:24:21,630 --> 00:24:25,110 S1: moment when everything went like a bomb went off and 483 00:24:25,109 --> 00:24:28,530 S1: you simply said, I trust you. That is crucial for 484 00:24:28,530 --> 00:24:31,370 S1: us to remember. You are out of control. He is 485 00:24:31,369 --> 00:24:34,570 S1: in control. Can you trust him more with Courtney right 486 00:24:34,570 --> 00:25:05,290 S1: after this? How often do you tune into in the market? 487 00:25:05,290 --> 00:25:07,850 S1: Once or twice a week. Every day. If this program 488 00:25:07,850 --> 00:25:10,250 S1: is valuable to you, why not become a partial partner? 489 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:13,250 S1: Your financial support is invaluable as we apply God's Word 490 00:25:13,250 --> 00:25:16,050 S1: to current events in modern culture. Knowing we can count 491 00:25:16,050 --> 00:25:19,050 S1: on your monthly gift encourages us to deliver relevant and 492 00:25:19,050 --> 00:25:21,930 S1: up to date content every day. Become a partial partner 493 00:25:21,930 --> 00:25:25,170 S1: today by calling eight seven, seven Janet 58 or go 494 00:25:25,270 --> 00:25:31,550 S1: online to In the Market with Janet Parshall. Courtney is 495 00:25:31,550 --> 00:25:34,070 S1: an author and a speaker who tragically lost her husband 496 00:25:34,070 --> 00:25:37,430 S1: in a cycling accident in 2012. She was left with 497 00:25:37,430 --> 00:25:40,149 S1: three young children and a broken heart. She now lives 498 00:25:40,150 --> 00:25:43,230 S1: to tell about the goodness and faithfulness of God to 499 00:25:43,270 --> 00:25:46,669 S1: the brokenhearted, and she's passionate about helping women encounter the 500 00:25:46,670 --> 00:25:49,550 S1: hope and victory of Jesus. I cannot believe this is 501 00:25:49,550 --> 00:25:51,670 S1: your first book, Courtney. I truly believe it will not 502 00:25:51,670 --> 00:25:55,110 S1: be your last. It's called. And she got up. Shattered 503 00:25:55,109 --> 00:25:57,469 S1: by loss, restored by Jesus. I want to point out 504 00:25:57,470 --> 00:26:00,550 S1: a couple of moments again that speak to who you 505 00:26:00,590 --> 00:26:03,470 S1: were in Christ as you were going through this experience. 506 00:26:03,750 --> 00:26:08,030 S1: So here you are in the hospital, stunned, numb. The 507 00:26:08,030 --> 00:26:11,389 S1: life that you knew has just exploded. Everything is completely different. 508 00:26:11,390 --> 00:26:15,110 S1: And yet this burly paramedic comes up and talks to you. 509 00:26:15,109 --> 00:26:17,790 S1: Tell me about that experience. But tell me also what 510 00:26:17,790 --> 00:26:20,550 S1: you were able to say to him in this moment. 511 00:26:21,070 --> 00:26:24,260 S6: HMM. Yeah. You know, it's one of those moments in 512 00:26:24,260 --> 00:26:26,260 S6: life that you never think is going to happen to 513 00:26:26,300 --> 00:26:30,860 S6: you until it does. And I'm standing in this room 514 00:26:30,859 --> 00:26:35,179 S6: waiting to, um, just all alone, waiting to hear from 515 00:26:35,180 --> 00:26:37,540 S6: someone on the hospital staff, you know, to get the 516 00:26:37,540 --> 00:26:42,060 S6: report of what happened and all of that. And all 517 00:26:42,060 --> 00:26:44,420 S6: of a sudden the doors just bust open wide. And 518 00:26:44,420 --> 00:26:48,820 S6: it's this very large man who was a paramedic who 519 00:26:48,820 --> 00:26:52,939 S6: was on the scene, and he was just weeping and 520 00:26:52,940 --> 00:26:58,379 S6: came and fell into my arms. And I can remember thinking, wow, 521 00:26:58,900 --> 00:27:01,460 S6: what in the world? What had he seen, you know, 522 00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:04,700 S6: what did he what did he experienced? And he and he, 523 00:27:04,740 --> 00:27:08,340 S6: all he could say was, he, I can't believe he 524 00:27:08,340 --> 00:27:11,899 S6: didn't make it. You know, he he was supposed to 525 00:27:11,940 --> 00:27:14,340 S6: come through. And I was like, I know he was strong. 526 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:17,980 S6: And he was like, how can you, how can you, 527 00:27:18,700 --> 00:27:21,220 S6: how can you have it together? And I didn't have 528 00:27:21,220 --> 00:27:23,720 S6: it together. But I said, you know what God has 529 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:27,439 S6: given me? For whatever reason, in this moment, he's given 530 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,000 S6: me this strange peace. And I know somehow God has 531 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,440 S6: a plan. And he looked at me and we both 532 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,639 S6: kind of looked at each other wild eyed because, you know, 533 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,520 S6: it wasn't supposed to be this way. And he said, 534 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,920 S6: I did everything I could do and I just couldn't. 535 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,200 S6: I couldn't save him. And it was a moment that 536 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:53,760 S6: I'll never forget. And because all of the sudden my 537 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,119 S6: greatest fear had become my greatest reality. 538 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,120 S1: Wow. You said then it hit you. August 21st was 539 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:04,760 S1: the day I'd had my burning bush encounter with God. 540 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,880 S1: And today was November 21st. Three months to the day. Really, God? 541 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,040 S1: All that for this, I think you picked the wrong girl. 542 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,560 S1: And this was just the beginning of your journey. You 543 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,639 S1: write with just how to manage the schedule. You had 544 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:19,280 S1: to have friends, help you figure out how to pay 545 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:21,780 S1: the bills, and a friend comes over with index cards 546 00:28:21,780 --> 00:28:24,300 S1: to help you figure it out. How you can manage 547 00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:26,980 S1: the day to day routine. Not being able to keep 548 00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:31,020 S1: up with the usual accoutrements of taking care of a home. 549 00:28:31,060 --> 00:28:32,740 S1: A lot of mac and cheese. You're right. I mean, 550 00:28:32,780 --> 00:28:34,979 S1: it was very, very difficult to go through all of 551 00:28:34,980 --> 00:28:39,580 S1: this for someone who hasn't experienced a loss on that level. 552 00:28:39,860 --> 00:28:42,700 S1: And if you haven't, then be thankful that you haven't. 553 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:46,580 S1: But for all of us who have, you are changed forever. 554 00:28:46,580 --> 00:28:50,220 S1: Life is divided into two parts before and after, and 555 00:28:50,220 --> 00:28:52,900 S1: things will never, ever be the same again because now 556 00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:56,220 S1: you are a completely changed person. How did you find 557 00:28:56,220 --> 00:28:57,980 S1: the strength to get out of bed and do you 558 00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:00,900 S1: go through? My mom was a hospice nurse and very 559 00:29:00,900 --> 00:29:03,060 S1: often she would have to tell family members when someone 560 00:29:03,060 --> 00:29:05,460 S1: died and she would always say to me, and she 561 00:29:05,460 --> 00:29:08,620 S1: was such a wonderful follower of Jesus Christ, and she 562 00:29:08,620 --> 00:29:11,500 S1: would say, God gives us the mercy of numbness in 563 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:14,260 S1: the beginning. Did you have a numbness in the beginning? 564 00:29:14,860 --> 00:29:17,620 S6: I absolutely had the mercy of numbness. I love the 565 00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:20,480 S6: way that she worded that because I think it it is. 566 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,040 S6: It's true. It's it's a way that God. I believe 567 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:28,000 S6: he protects our our brains and our bodies because it 568 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,600 S6: is such an earth shattering loss that it's hard to breathe. 569 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:36,040 S6: But yet he puts us almost in this shock, right 570 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:42,720 S6: where we, we, we are numb and but eventually that 571 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,320 S6: numbness wears off, right? 572 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:45,120 S1: Mhm. 573 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,280 S6: And for me, I remember having to wake up every 574 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,680 S6: day and choose. I can either make a choice because 575 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,840 S6: there's power in a decision. Power and a decision. And 576 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,240 S6: I had to make the choice. AM I going to 577 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,000 S6: am I going to give in to this devastation? And 578 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,000 S6: there are some days it could have taken me out. 579 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:07,280 S6: Or am I going to choose, Lord, to keep following you, 580 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,719 S6: to keep opening up your word and to keep taking 581 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,400 S6: you at your word. Every promise that you've given are 582 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:19,709 S6: not just age old promises. They were becoming sustenance in 583 00:30:19,710 --> 00:30:23,510 S6: real time and in real life, to give me life 584 00:30:23,510 --> 00:30:25,790 S6: and to bring light into my home. 585 00:30:27,070 --> 00:30:30,230 S1: And Courtney, for people again who've never gone through something 586 00:30:30,230 --> 00:30:33,670 S1: like this, are there days when you're better at surrendering 587 00:30:33,670 --> 00:30:36,950 S1: than others? And isn't this a moment by moment experience 588 00:30:36,950 --> 00:30:39,790 S1: rather than a week, a day and a month experience? 589 00:30:40,350 --> 00:30:43,150 S6: Absolutely. I mean, I can remember saying, Lord, would you 590 00:30:43,150 --> 00:30:46,070 S6: give me the grace for the next five minutes? Would 591 00:30:46,070 --> 00:30:49,950 S6: you fill my lungs with oxygen? Would you help me 592 00:30:49,950 --> 00:30:52,190 S6: to put one foot in front of the other? And 593 00:30:52,230 --> 00:30:54,950 S6: I mean, it's one of those things where life is 594 00:30:54,950 --> 00:30:58,550 S6: so hazy and foggy and you can't even see your 595 00:30:58,550 --> 00:31:01,350 S6: own hand in front of your face. And it. And 596 00:31:01,350 --> 00:31:05,350 S6: it's cultivating this dependence on God like I had never 597 00:31:05,350 --> 00:31:08,950 S6: known I had loved, I really had loved Jesus all 598 00:31:08,950 --> 00:31:11,550 S6: my life. And I wanted to give him my whole life. 599 00:31:11,670 --> 00:31:15,550 S6: But now that I had lost everything, it was being. 600 00:31:15,550 --> 00:31:18,050 S6: All of. All of these things were being tested. But 601 00:31:18,090 --> 00:31:21,690 S6: do you know what happened through this testing and through 602 00:31:21,690 --> 00:31:26,530 S6: the wrestle and through the five minute increments, is that 603 00:31:26,530 --> 00:31:31,850 S6: I began to experience the presence of Jesus like I 604 00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:35,530 S6: never had in my life. It became what I once 605 00:31:35,530 --> 00:31:38,570 S6: would sing about and read about in the word, and 606 00:31:38,570 --> 00:31:41,930 S6: I would pray. All of these things had all of 607 00:31:41,930 --> 00:31:45,730 S6: a sudden become a lifeline and just more real than 608 00:31:45,730 --> 00:31:49,250 S6: the chair I'm sitting on in this moment. And, and 609 00:31:49,250 --> 00:31:53,490 S6: it just his word became a feast for my starving soul. 610 00:31:54,010 --> 00:31:56,650 S1: Yeah. You know, so many people will hear that, Courtney, 611 00:31:56,650 --> 00:31:58,770 S1: and they'll say, yeah, I hear people say that all 612 00:31:58,770 --> 00:32:00,890 S1: the time, but I just don't believe that it happens. 613 00:32:01,050 --> 00:32:03,170 S1: How do you convey to someone who's never been to 614 00:32:03,210 --> 00:32:06,250 S1: that point where literally you can't breathe without Jesus? There's 615 00:32:06,250 --> 00:32:09,410 S1: no other way to describe it. You cannot breathe without Jesus. 616 00:32:09,730 --> 00:32:13,130 S1: How do you help people understand the validity of that? 617 00:32:13,130 --> 00:32:16,070 S1: And how do we also encourage people who haven't gotten 618 00:32:16,070 --> 00:32:19,030 S1: to that place where he is your all in all 619 00:32:19,230 --> 00:32:21,950 S1: because you need to get there when these trials come. 620 00:32:21,950 --> 00:32:24,590 S1: If you're not there, it's a whole different kind of experience. 621 00:32:24,590 --> 00:32:25,550 S1: Talk to me about that. 622 00:32:25,790 --> 00:32:30,150 S6: Yeah, I think what we do starting today matters and 623 00:32:30,430 --> 00:32:34,270 S6: getting into the word, getting into the promises that God 624 00:32:34,270 --> 00:32:37,270 S6: has made available for every single one of us is 625 00:32:37,270 --> 00:32:40,750 S6: something that is just, it is life changing, and it 626 00:32:40,750 --> 00:32:43,870 S6: is what we need to store up before we walk 627 00:32:43,870 --> 00:32:47,030 S6: through trials. Because it's it's not a matter of if 628 00:32:47,030 --> 00:32:51,230 S6: trials come, it's a matter of when trials come that 629 00:32:51,230 --> 00:32:54,110 S6: we are able then to overcome in a whole new way. 630 00:32:54,110 --> 00:32:57,550 S6: Is it easy? No. Did the pain almost take me 631 00:32:57,550 --> 00:33:00,830 S6: out some days? Yes. So I'm just saying that the 632 00:33:00,870 --> 00:33:04,030 S6: pain is real and we. And I don't want to 633 00:33:04,070 --> 00:33:07,470 S6: minimize what what any of you are walking through. But 634 00:33:07,470 --> 00:33:10,670 S6: if you're walking through that intense heartache. I want to 635 00:33:10,710 --> 00:33:15,220 S6: just encourage you to lay it down And choose to 636 00:33:15,260 --> 00:33:17,780 S6: lay it at the feet of Jesus and open up 637 00:33:17,780 --> 00:33:20,340 S6: the Word of God. If you don't know where to start, 638 00:33:20,340 --> 00:33:24,540 S6: start with the Psalms. The Psalms is a beautiful picture, 639 00:33:24,580 --> 00:33:30,100 S6: a beautiful book of mostly of David, sometimes wrestling with 640 00:33:30,100 --> 00:33:33,300 S6: the Lord and saying, God, this is so hard. My 641 00:33:33,300 --> 00:33:36,820 S6: enemies are after me. You know, I, I, I don't 642 00:33:36,820 --> 00:33:38,740 S6: know what to do and I don't know what to go, 643 00:33:38,780 --> 00:33:41,820 S6: where to go. But then he would say, but Lord, 644 00:33:41,820 --> 00:33:44,380 S6: you are in control and I'm going to choose to 645 00:33:44,420 --> 00:33:47,740 S6: praise you. So it's this dance of, of going in 646 00:33:47,740 --> 00:33:51,420 S6: and out of the the hardships and life to this 647 00:33:51,420 --> 00:33:54,860 S6: surrender of saying, but you, Lord, know it all. You 648 00:33:54,860 --> 00:33:57,940 S6: know the end from the beginning and you do. He 649 00:33:57,940 --> 00:34:00,660 S6: does have a plan for every single one of us. 650 00:34:00,940 --> 00:34:04,220 S6: And the beautiful thing about Jesus is he doesn't waste 651 00:34:04,260 --> 00:34:05,580 S6: a shred of our pain. 652 00:34:05,620 --> 00:34:08,620 S1: MM. I was just thinking that, Courtney, when you were 653 00:34:08,620 --> 00:34:10,500 S1: talking and I was saying, Lord, why does it take 654 00:34:10,500 --> 00:34:13,480 S1: us to be at the bottom of the pit to 655 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,719 S1: be totally depended upon you, that that's the posture he 656 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,239 S1: would want us to have all the time that, like 657 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,560 S1: Paul said in acts 17, in him we live and 658 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,200 S1: move and have our being. But why is it when 659 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:26,759 S1: we're not quite sure we can take our next breath, 660 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,439 S1: that we get to the point where Jesus is our 661 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:33,160 S1: total and complete sustenance? Why does it take trials to 662 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:34,880 S1: get us to that point? That should be our moment 663 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:36,400 S1: by moment experience with him. 664 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:41,080 S6: Right? It takes that trial because I mean, that desperation 665 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:46,000 S6: is what drives us to Jesus. That desperation of being 666 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,120 S6: so far out on the fringes of all you've ever known. 667 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:53,359 S6: And you're thinking, Lord, if you don't come through for 668 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,840 S6: me in this moment, I'm not going to make it. 669 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:59,719 S6: And I've been there, and I know that many people 670 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:02,920 S6: listening have been in that place. And if you haven't 671 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,439 S6: been in that place, I want to encourage you that 672 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,800 S6: that's the place that the Lord is faithful to meet you. 673 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:14,100 S6: That is the place that he met me with more 674 00:35:14,100 --> 00:35:18,460 S6: power and more love than I had ever experienced. And 675 00:35:18,460 --> 00:35:22,540 S6: I think that's what's so beautiful through it all, is 676 00:35:22,580 --> 00:35:25,420 S6: we think that our mess, and we think that our 677 00:35:25,420 --> 00:35:28,660 S6: hardships and our trials and the fire and the pit 678 00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:32,100 S6: is going to scare him off, but it's really the 679 00:35:32,100 --> 00:35:35,980 S6: place that he draws near the most. He said he's 680 00:35:36,219 --> 00:35:39,299 S6: he is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who 681 00:35:39,300 --> 00:35:42,540 S6: are crushed in spirit. Well, how do you know if 682 00:35:42,540 --> 00:35:44,980 S6: he's going to do that unless you've been in that place? 683 00:35:44,980 --> 00:35:48,899 S6: And once you have at that rock bottom moment is 684 00:35:48,900 --> 00:35:54,540 S6: where I encountered Jesus, who is alive and who is 685 00:35:55,020 --> 00:36:00,020 S6: peace and who, who brought comfort like a balm to 686 00:36:00,060 --> 00:36:03,900 S6: my heart over my home. He filled my home with 687 00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:07,420 S6: light and some of the darkest moments. 688 00:36:08,540 --> 00:36:12,640 S1: Like the first Thanksgiving without Andrew. The first Christmas, Carson's 689 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:16,359 S1: third birthday. You write of all these stages, all these 690 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:19,319 S1: steps that you went through. But the story doesn't end there. 691 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,640 S1: And I want you to hear why Courtney called the book, 692 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:26,520 S1: and she got up a powerful, powerful use of a 693 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,799 S1: phrase that reminds us of what Jesus can do, how 694 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,440 S1: he can lift us up out of our brokenness, and 695 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:37,120 S1: bring real healing and restoration. It is a fabulously powerful, 696 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,040 S1: important book. It's a hard book because you're walking through 697 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,439 S1: a hard place with Courtney, but in the end, you 698 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,800 S1: know more about the character of God back after this. 699 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,279 S1: Courtney is our guest, and she joins us talking about 700 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:06,759 S1: her book, and she got up, and there's so much 701 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:09,830 S1: more in the book that even one hour of Courtney's time, 702 00:37:09,830 --> 00:37:12,030 S1: and it's irreplaceable. I can't give it back to her. 703 00:37:12,390 --> 00:37:14,310 S1: There's so much more in this book that I want 704 00:37:14,310 --> 00:37:16,549 S1: you to read all the times where we. I think 705 00:37:16,550 --> 00:37:19,710 S1: we're surprised because God shows up. He's been there all along, 706 00:37:19,710 --> 00:37:22,190 S1: but the way in which he shows his mercy, his grace, 707 00:37:22,190 --> 00:37:25,910 S1: his comfort, his love to us. Conversations, notes, people on 708 00:37:25,910 --> 00:37:28,510 S1: an airplane. It's just over and over and over again, 709 00:37:28,510 --> 00:37:30,710 S1: and I. I smiled and I got a lump in 710 00:37:30,710 --> 00:37:32,630 S1: my throat because I thought, he doesn't leave us. He 711 00:37:32,630 --> 00:37:35,629 S1: doesn't forsake us. He never left Courtney alone, even in 712 00:37:35,630 --> 00:37:39,830 S1: the midst of this almost excruciating pain. So let me 713 00:37:39,830 --> 00:37:41,830 S1: just fast forward, because there is so much in the 714 00:37:41,830 --> 00:37:43,470 S1: book and talk to me about the role that Louis 715 00:37:43,469 --> 00:37:46,989 S1: and Louis and Kelly played in your life, because they 716 00:37:46,989 --> 00:37:49,669 S1: were very, very, very much a part of what went 717 00:37:49,670 --> 00:37:51,190 S1: on in this next part of your life. 718 00:37:51,469 --> 00:37:53,989 S6: Yes. You know, it's so beautiful how God knows what 719 00:37:53,989 --> 00:37:56,310 S6: we need when we need it, and he will find 720 00:37:56,310 --> 00:37:59,669 S6: us and put us wherever he wants us. And I 721 00:37:59,670 --> 00:38:03,830 S6: can tell you that, um, I didn't know again, I, I, 722 00:38:04,110 --> 00:38:06,830 S6: it was one day at a time. One step at 723 00:38:06,830 --> 00:38:10,169 S6: a time, Lord, lead me and I'll follow you anywhere. 724 00:38:10,170 --> 00:38:13,570 S6: And that's really, that's really what I wanted to do. 725 00:38:13,570 --> 00:38:18,689 S6: And God was faithful to supply every need right when 726 00:38:18,690 --> 00:38:21,570 S6: I needed it. His provision. This book is filled with 727 00:38:21,570 --> 00:38:24,450 S6: his provision, and I've seen it over and over again 728 00:38:24,450 --> 00:38:29,610 S6: in my life. Louie and Shelley Giglio were such critical, um, 729 00:38:29,810 --> 00:38:34,489 S6: parts of, of that provision of God, um, bringing them 730 00:38:34,489 --> 00:38:39,770 S6: into our lives in a, in a really unexpected way. Um, through, 731 00:38:39,930 --> 00:38:43,810 S6: through a friend at the time that I met at 732 00:38:43,810 --> 00:38:47,890 S6: the passion conference and um, Louie Giglio got up and 733 00:38:47,890 --> 00:38:52,250 S6: spoke a word on the passage in Ezekiel 37 where 734 00:38:52,290 --> 00:38:56,529 S6: God breathes the dry bones to life. And that is 735 00:38:56,530 --> 00:39:00,089 S6: what I felt in that moment that I. I knew 736 00:39:00,130 --> 00:39:02,010 S6: what it was like to be sitting in the bottom 737 00:39:02,010 --> 00:39:05,870 S6: of a, of a, a pile of dry bones are 738 00:39:05,870 --> 00:39:09,950 S6: just surrounded by death. And God used that night in 739 00:39:09,950 --> 00:39:13,670 S6: my life, that scripture that Louis was preaching out of 740 00:39:13,950 --> 00:39:17,830 S6: Ezekiel 37, the dry bones. And God used that in 741 00:39:17,830 --> 00:39:21,069 S6: my life to let me know that I was going 742 00:39:21,110 --> 00:39:24,550 S6: to make it. And there, there may just be, after all, 743 00:39:24,550 --> 00:39:29,470 S6: life beyond this tragedy. And I felt God just blow 744 00:39:29,469 --> 00:39:33,550 S6: a big breath of wind over my life to bring 745 00:39:33,550 --> 00:39:36,149 S6: me back to life and to really set me on 746 00:39:36,150 --> 00:39:40,990 S6: this journey of healing that that really took, um, took 747 00:39:41,030 --> 00:39:44,390 S6: was a, was years in the making. But Louis and 748 00:39:44,390 --> 00:39:48,469 S6: Shelly were such, um, just such provision from God to, 749 00:39:48,510 --> 00:39:52,790 S6: to love and care for our family and um, just 750 00:39:52,790 --> 00:39:57,190 S6: such pillars of the faith and led us in such, 751 00:39:57,230 --> 00:40:00,510 S6: such a beautiful way to keep reminding us to, to 752 00:40:00,550 --> 00:40:04,819 S6: keep our eyes upon Jesus and, and, and they, they 753 00:40:04,860 --> 00:40:10,020 S6: were just, um, a beautiful, uh, just provision of God 754 00:40:10,020 --> 00:40:11,500 S6: in that season of our lives. 755 00:40:11,540 --> 00:40:13,140 S1: And what is it like to be on an airplane 756 00:40:13,140 --> 00:40:15,779 S1: and have somebody give you a prophetic word about your future? 757 00:40:16,420 --> 00:40:21,259 S6: That was one of the most. Oh, my word. I mean, 758 00:40:21,300 --> 00:40:26,620 S6: that moment, my mouth was on the floor. But again, 759 00:40:26,620 --> 00:40:31,180 S6: God knows when we're following him and you know, and 760 00:40:31,180 --> 00:40:33,700 S6: we're aware of his presence, he we're not going to 761 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:36,419 S6: miss a thing. And he's going to put us in 762 00:40:36,420 --> 00:40:38,979 S6: all the places that he wants us to be. To 763 00:40:39,020 --> 00:40:42,739 S6: hear the things, to see the things to, to understand 764 00:40:42,739 --> 00:40:47,180 S6: and know where he's leading us. And having this person 765 00:40:47,180 --> 00:40:50,460 S6: sit on a plane that I had never known. Speak 766 00:40:50,460 --> 00:40:55,100 S6: over me about my future husband. It's still. It's still 767 00:40:55,100 --> 00:40:57,620 S6: knocks the wind out of me. But it's just so 768 00:40:57,620 --> 00:41:04,360 S6: beautiful how God can use, um, anyone, anytime, anywhere to 769 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,200 S6: accomplish his plan and his purpose for our life. 770 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:10,719 S1: So, Courtney, speaking of prophetic voices, and boy, that's so 771 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:13,600 S1: emblematic of the times you write over and over and 772 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:15,919 S1: over again in the book that God just shows up. 773 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,120 S1: We think he does, but he's never left us. He's 774 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,320 S1: there the entire time, but he makes himself even more real. 775 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:24,120 S1: And clearly that prophetic voice on the airplane was God 776 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:27,600 S1: speaking through that individual. Because you did meet John and 777 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:29,920 S1: you fell madly in love with John, and John fell 778 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:31,640 S1: madly in love with you. In fact, you write in 779 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:34,840 S1: the book, Courtney, you are God's precious gift to me, 780 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,120 S1: I love you. Will you be my wife? Will you 781 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:39,600 S1: marry me? And you say that he was calm and 782 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:41,839 S1: he was tender. And it took a little bit for 783 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,520 S1: you to get to that point where you said yes. 784 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:46,160 S1: And in fact, you allowed him to put a ring 785 00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:48,640 S1: on your finger because you weren't sure if this was 786 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:50,759 S1: the next step. You weren't sure if you could move 787 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:54,000 S1: forward and how lovingly he was in his patience and 788 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,040 S1: his understanding. He sounds like he's a spectacular human being, 789 00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,080 S1: but then God does something else, which is so amazing. 790 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:02,620 S1: It isn't just that he's brought someone else into your 791 00:42:02,620 --> 00:42:05,379 S1: life after four long years of widowhood. And then on 792 00:42:05,380 --> 00:42:09,739 S1: August 19th, 2016, you say I do. Looking into each 793 00:42:09,739 --> 00:42:12,060 S1: other's eyes, you're sobbing all the way down the aisle. 794 00:42:12,540 --> 00:42:14,980 S1: But you find out that you're pregnant and you wondered 795 00:42:14,980 --> 00:42:17,299 S1: for the longest period of time what you should name 796 00:42:17,300 --> 00:42:19,660 S1: this baby. And you remember that the Lord had given 797 00:42:19,660 --> 00:42:22,620 S1: you a name out of nowhere, seemingly, and you wrote 798 00:42:22,620 --> 00:42:24,979 S1: it down. And the name was Asher, which I think 799 00:42:24,980 --> 00:42:27,700 S1: is fabulous because when we studied the tribes, we understand 800 00:42:27,700 --> 00:42:30,620 S1: how important the tribe of Asher is. And when you 801 00:42:30,620 --> 00:42:33,660 S1: brought this to John, he was extremely receptive. But also 802 00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:35,460 S1: the question had to be raised about whether or not 803 00:42:35,460 --> 00:42:37,180 S1: he should have a middle name. And this tells me 804 00:42:37,180 --> 00:42:41,100 S1: something about John's character. He said, let's make his middle 805 00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:44,500 S1: name pray. Because of course, Andrew's last name was pray 806 00:42:44,540 --> 00:42:48,700 S1: your name. Married to Andrew was Courtney. Pray. Now you're Courtney, 807 00:42:48,739 --> 00:42:52,299 S1: pray Duke, because you married John Duke. But John said, 808 00:42:52,300 --> 00:42:55,580 S1: let's call Asher's middle name prayer. So he now is Asher. 809 00:42:55,620 --> 00:42:59,739 S1: Pray Duke. What a powerful and an amazing God. And 810 00:42:59,739 --> 00:43:02,200 S1: this is what you write about over and over and 811 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:04,439 S1: over again in the book, which I think is so 812 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:07,359 S1: superb and such an encouragement to us to understand who 813 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:09,600 S1: the character of God is. So I really and truly 814 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:12,080 S1: have to ask you in the last minute, can you 815 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,600 S1: share with our friends why you chose the title of 816 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:18,799 S1: the book, why she Got Up? It's so profound. It 817 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:22,040 S1: weaves its way throughout the entire book because it comes 818 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:24,680 S1: out of a verse in Matthew where a synagogue leader's 819 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:27,920 S1: daughter had died, and Jesus comes in and he does 820 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:32,080 S1: something pretty spectacular to this dead girl. That's the genesis 821 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:34,520 S1: of the title of the book, but it's also the 822 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:37,480 S1: genesis of your life story as well. Talk to me 823 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:38,040 S1: about it. 824 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:41,279 S6: Yes. And she got up, came straight off of the 825 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:45,839 S6: page of Scripture, and it's in Matthew 925. Oh, it 826 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:49,560 S6: had been a decade after losing Andrew. And I read 827 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:51,799 S6: this in the Word of God and it popped off 828 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:55,320 S6: the page. It says after the crowd had been put outside, 829 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:58,880 S6: Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand 830 00:43:59,230 --> 00:44:02,029 S6: and she got up. And when I read that, I 831 00:44:02,070 --> 00:44:05,109 S6: realized that wasn't just the girl that was dying in 832 00:44:05,110 --> 00:44:09,110 S6: scripture thousands of years ago. Jesus went in, took her hand, 833 00:44:09,469 --> 00:44:12,310 S6: and she got up. That wasn't just for her, though. 834 00:44:12,710 --> 00:44:15,710 S6: He did that. And I realized I know that hand too. 835 00:44:15,989 --> 00:44:19,670 S6: I was the girl left for dead, that Jesus touched 836 00:44:19,670 --> 00:44:23,190 S6: and resurrected my life. And it's not just possible for 837 00:44:23,190 --> 00:44:26,870 S6: her or for me, but for anyone. That's who Jesus is, 838 00:44:26,910 --> 00:44:28,430 S6: and that's what he can do. 839 00:44:29,830 --> 00:44:31,710 S1: Courtney, yours is one of those books I think I'm 840 00:44:31,710 --> 00:44:33,629 S1: going to remember for the rest of my lifetime. It 841 00:44:33,630 --> 00:44:37,069 S1: is powerful. It is vulnerable, it is transparent, but it 842 00:44:37,110 --> 00:44:39,549 S1: reminds us who God is. And it helps us to 843 00:44:39,590 --> 00:44:42,750 S1: discover that when we get knocked down, he is there 844 00:44:42,750 --> 00:44:47,149 S1: to lift us up. And she got up through who 845 00:44:47,150 --> 00:44:49,910 S1: Jesus is, what he can do in for and through us. 846 00:44:50,190 --> 00:44:51,910 S1: I hope there are many more books. Courtney, I'm going 847 00:44:51,910 --> 00:44:53,190 S1: to be in line to talk to you about any 848 00:44:53,190 --> 00:44:55,830 S1: future books you write. God bless you and your ministry. 849 00:44:55,870 --> 00:44:58,150 S1: Appreciate you. Thanks, friends. We'll see you next time.