Living Joyously (Part 2 of 2)

Look at me, people.

Look at me. I still walk with a lamp. I still talk fun about all the joy that floods my soul because Jesus touched me and made me whole. What a unique delivery of a life-changing message. That's David Ring talking about the triumph he's known in spite of the severe limitations of cerebral palsy. And if you've ever felt unloved or ridiculed, and I think most of us have at some level, then please know our program today could be just what you need to hear. I'm John Fuller and your host is Focus President and author, Jim Daly. John, I got to tell you, I love this message from David Ring.

I just love it. His story is so inspiring because he hasn't allowed his physical challenges, as difficult as they are, to stop him from doing what God has called them to do. And that should inspire all of us. He is determined to share the gospel with as many people as he can, despite what most people would call his limitations. In fact, he visited Focus on the Family back in 2007 and spoke at our Staff Chapel gathering.

And boy, were we inspired. And if you missed part one of David's presentation yesterday, please get in touch with us. We can send you the entire message on CD or audio download, or you can get it from the Focus on the Family app for your smartphone.

Yeah, the links for all of those are right in the show notes. David Ring is an author, an evangelist, and a husband, father, and grandfather, and we'll hear more about his family today. Yeah, and Jim, as we said last time, David has a speech impediment, as you can tell from the clip that we just shared earlier. But that message that he has is so clear as you listen along and get used to kind of the rhythm of his delivery.

Here now is David Ring speaking at Moody Bible Institute's Founders Week a number of years ago. It's today's episode of Focus on the Family. People come up to me and say, brother Dave, don't you want to be normal? And I look at them, I say, what's normal? You think you're normal? You've got a long way to go, buddy. And some of you know I'm going to make it. Amen. I don't want to be normal.

I want to be just like God made me. Let me tell you something that blows your mentality down the tube. That God knew me before I was even born, and when I was in my momma's womb, God ordained me. The Bible says our words wonderfully and fearfully mean by God. Do you know God never said oops? God never said oops.

Now by looking at some of you, he came real close. But I thank God for the way I am. By the way, what's wrong with walking with a limp? What's wrong with talking funny? We throw away broken things normally, but God don't.

God uses broken things. What's wrong with cerebral palsy? It's a minority.

I beg your ever-loving pardon. Because the Bible says if God be for me, who can be against me? They tell me it's a handicap.

It's a disability below me. I wouldn't be like I am any day. They're healthy men that don't know the power of God. I wouldn't be like I am any day. They're a healthy woman that never seen the love of God in her life. I thank God for the way I am.

I will not trade body with any one of you. I thank God for walking with a limp. I thank God for talking funny. It's a privilege to talk funny. When I'm in public and I open my mouth, people look.

When you open your mouth, they just keep on going. I thank God for shaking. I love to shake. Everybody can shake.

I went to the Holy Land the other month, and you ought to see the video that I took of them. The only people can watch it, people with cerebral palsy. You'd say, David, how can you make fun of people like that? I'm not making fun of nobody because I am one. But people look at me. Look at me. I don't have a chair on my shoulder. But I'm feeling it's not on my sleeve.

I thank God for the way I am. Contemplate. Contemplate.

Contemplate. It's not getting what you want. It's getting what you got.

I thank God for what I got. They tell me I'm a cripple, but the Bible tell me I'm more than conqueror. They tell me I'm a nobody, but I got news for those jaybirds.

I'm a somebody. I've been born with a pride. I'm a child of the king. I've been adopted in the family of God, and hallelujah, my name is written in the Lamb of God. They tell me I can't do anything, but the Bible say with God all things are possible. They tell me I will never be a preacher, but I am. I'm preaching my guts out, man. In 1971, God called me to preach at lay in bed when I'm under my own bed. And God said, David, I want you to preach.

I said, who me? Lord, I can't preach, Lord. I talk funny, Lord. People can't understand me, Lord.

I held cerebral palsy. Can you imagine me telling God I held cerebral palsy? I got funny feeling God said, really?

You got to be kidding. Tell me something I don't know, big boy. God said, God, if you want me to preach, take a second look. And then call me.

He took that second look. He still called me to preach. And I got out of my bed.

God, my Bible says he opened the Philippians 4, 13, which said I can do all things through which is destroying me. And people look at me. I'm not going to let a shaky body slow me down from doing what God called me to do. Now, look at me. Look at me.

I have cerebral palsy. What's your problem? What's your problem? Why are you crying the balloons? Why are you down in the dump? Why are you down in the mouth? Why do you want to quit?

Why do you want to throw in the towel? Look at me. What's your problem?

Don't whine, be shy. Don't you think it's about time to get the lead out and put the Lord in? Don't you think it's about time to get all of your blessed assurance?

Don't you think it's about time to get all dead center in your life? Look at you. God gave you a healthy body.

Look at me. I'm weak. I'm frail. I can't even say Jesus.

Plain. What's your problem, a healthy man? What's your problem, a healthy woman? What are you doing in your life? Don't whine, be shy. They told me I would never make it in evangelism. I only been doing it 23 years. I may not make it. They said to me, you will never get enough invitation to shake and stick at it.

But last year alone in 1995, I received in my office in Orlando, Florida, over 700 invitations. Once I get a little bit more invitation, I'm going to go full-time. God don't want my ability, but God want my availability. That's the only thing I do for a living. I'm not on my church staff. I'm not on my church payroll. I go from town to town, from church to church, all over this country. And people, that's what I've been doing for 23 years. I speak over 200 times a year.

They told me it can't be done. I love when men said, no way, because God said, stand back, boys. Let me take over. It's not my power. It's not my mind.

But by God's very letter, it's much when God is in it. They said, don't ever judge a book by its cover. They told me I will never finish college, but I did.

I crammed four years of college into five. They told me I will never find a new wife. My own family told me that. They said, don't even look for a wife. Why not? No woman will love you. Why not?

You're not good enough. Don't even look for a wife. You won't ever find a wife. You can't make a living for a wife. You won't ever find a wife. Don't look for a wife. But 1981, God found me a dynamo wife who loves me, who loves me, who prays for me.

She is dynamo. We've been married for 14 years now, and you know why? She loves me more and more and more.

She loves me just the way I am. I told her the other day, don't ever think about leaving me. Don't ever think about leaving me.

If you leave me, I'm going with you. I might be dumb, but nothing stupid. But I thank God for my little healthy wife. Nothing wrong with her.

She is beautiful. They told me I will never be a daddy, but I am. Not once, but full-time.

Pretty good, huh? I'm a daddy to three little girls, one little boy. People come up to me and say, Brother Dave, are your children normal?

Sometime I think they got brain damage. But that's normal, amen? Look at me, people.

Every time I look at my family, all I can say to God be the glory. Great thing He has done, people. I didn't get the bum deal. I got a blessed deal. I didn't get the short end of the stick.

I got the old stick. People, if you don't believe in the power of God, look up here. I came a long way, baby.

Amen? I know where I've been. I'm the one that loves my mom.

I know where I've been, but thank God I know where I am. God took away my mama. They loved me and judged the way I am.

You know why? God gave me five people. They loved me and judged the way I am.

My wife and four kids. I know where I've been. I know where I am, and I sure know where I'm going. And one day I'm going to look up, and I'm going to see my mama and my daddy again.

What's up with me? You'd say, do you mention mama? Do you mention daddy?

Sure I do. I would love to go home Thanksgiving and eat mama's girl home cooking. I would love to go home at Christmas time and find a present under the tree for mom and dad. I would love to call my mama up and say, happy mama day. I would love to call my mama up and say, I sure do love you today, mama. I would love to bring my daddy, to let my daddy hear me preaching in Chicago. And after I preach, let my daddy tell me everything I do wrong.

I would love that. But I can't ever help that. But don't feel sorry for me because joy coming in the morning. And not only that, when I get through heaven, I'm going to have me a brand new body. I'm not going to walk with a limp.

I'm not going to talk funny. I'm going to walk and talk like Jesus. And if you don't like the way I am, hang in there. I'm still in the oven. God's still in the kitchen. God's still cooking on me. And when God gets finished cooking on me, God's going to pull me out of the oven. And I'm going to say, well done, good, and favor something. Well, that thunderous applause will wrap up this two-part Focus on the Family broadcast featuring David Ring. Jim, what an inspiring person he is.

He really is. And if David's message doesn't light a fire under you, you've got another problem. And that brings up a pretty bold question I'd like to ask you. What in your life rises to that level, that kind of challenge that David has overcome? And where can you do a better job with your attitude, your approach, with your expression of the gospel?

And let me tell you, I'll ask myself those same questions. David shared so clearly what the Lord can do with a person who takes their eyes off their own problems and puts them on him, on the Lord. And that's really the message I got from the presentation. And the other takeaway is that we need to teach our children that everyone, regardless of their appearance or their ability to communicate, has value in God's eyes.

They are made in his image, and he can use them mightily, like he did David's life. Yeah, it's so important to really understand that, to teach that. Here at Focus on the Family, we try to encourage you in your journey as a mom or a dad in your walk with Christ. We do recommend David's book in which he captures his story, The Boy Born Dead, a story of friendship, courage, and triumph. Get your copy from us here.

The link is in the show notes. Or call 1-800, the letter A, and the word family. It might be a good idea to get the book and read it together as a family.

That's a great idea, John. And here at the close of the program, I want to share a letter that we received from a mom named Phyllis. She said that her 21-year-old daughter, Caitlin, was diagnosed with chronic seizures at age three. She underwent several surgeries with absolutely no improvement.

But recently, Caitlin had a sixth surgery, and she is now seizure-free. And we all praise the Lord for that. Phyllis went on to say that during some of the darkest times on this journey, she would tune into the program, and that it would give her the encouragement she needed to make it through the moment. And she would also call us for prayer, and that gave her hope. She said that she loves us, and that's humbling, believe me, and that she could not have made it through the last 18 years without focus.

I mean, isn't that something? That really blesses me, and I hope it blesses all of you that help support the ministry, too. It is such a privilege together to stand in the gap for these parents who need help. So I'd like to encourage you to consider partnering with us financially. That is the fuel that gets ministry done. These are very difficult times for many, many people.

And in fact, we receive over 2,200 requests each month for a consultation with a counselor. Think of that. And with your help, Focus on the Family can put that proverbial arm around the person and pray with them and help them and really counsel them through those dark moments. So if you're in a good place and the Lord is blessing you, can you consider helping bless others? The best way to do that is through a monthly pledge that really helps even out the budget for us. Or a one-time gift is good, too. And when you make a monthly pledge of any amount, we'll send you David Ring's book, The Boy Born Dead, plus a free audio download of his entire presentation. And that'll be our way of saying thanks for partnering with us in ministry. And if you can't make that monthly commitment, we get that. We can also send you the book and the audio for a one-time gift of any amount. So get your copy today. Right. Get your copy of David's book and the free audio download when you follow the link in the show notes.

Or call us for details. 800, the letter A in the word family. Coming up next time on Focus on the Family, understanding and maximizing your child's strengths. With Sierra, I think one of the powerful lessons we understood about her is that our goal wasn't to change her. Right. Our goal was to help direct her, guide that energy, because she wasn't being inauthentic. This was her.

Right. She is a leader. She wants to engage. She wants to challenge.

And if we can help her guide that, we get to see the wonderful woman she is today. On behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team, thanks for listening to this Focus on the Family podcast. Take a moment, please, and leave a rating in your app or share this episode with a friend. Thanks. I'm John Fuller inviting you back next time as we once more help you and your family thrive in Christ. We'll see you next time.