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Simply go to focusonthefamily.com/slash impossible. Today on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, our guest is David Ring, and he shares his unique perspective about living with cerebral palsy. What's wrong with cerebral potsy? They tell me it's a handicap. It's a disability baloney.
I will be like I am inundated. They are healthy, man, that don't know the power of God.
Well, you're going to be hearing more of that passion, and I hope you're inspired to live your life more fully, regardless of your circumstances, through what David is sharing. Thanks for joining us. I'm John Fuller. John, we're returning to one of the most popular broadcasts of all time here at Focus on the Family. And every time I hear this message, I'm inspired once again to make the most of what God has given me and also to love and accept those around me.
David is a great example of the fact that every life is precious because we're all made in the image of God. And I think you'll be amazed when you hear how the Lord has worked in David's life. It's really a powerful message. And what should be apparent is that David's speech has been deeply affected by cerebral palsy.
So he's a bit difficult to understand at first, but lean in and it'll take just a short while for you to really get pulled into his message. Here now is David Ring, speaking at Moody Bible Institute. Founders Week a number of years ago on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Let me add you something. Do you ever get down when they're dumps?
Do you? Yeah, so I'm gonna go ahead and get it. Everybody do it. It feels good doing, man. Come to my house.
Let's all get down when they're dumps together. But why do we get them when they're done? Because we have our eyes. Under circumstance. We ever had On our circumstances, every time you get your eyes on your circumstances, you are going to get down in the dumps.
But I come to you today to share with you that God can make lemonade out of anybody's lemon. Amen. But the problem is We don't want to give God the lemon.
Now, how can God make lemonade out of all lemon if we don't give God the lemon? You know why we don't give God the lemon? Because if we give God the lemon, we want having nothing to talk about. Yeah, I'm sure. Huh?
No wonder people don't come to church. Because every time they come to church, they see a bunch of people sharing lemons with each other. Do you want the same mind of mine? Oh, I can be that my lemon baker than your lemon. Do you know I'm so afraid to ask people how they're doing?
Number one, I'm afraid they're gonna tell me. Number two, I don't want to do no. How you doing, man? Oh my god killing me. How you doing?
So I don't think I'm gonna make it today. That's pitiful. Every little pain in your body, you go, whoa, it's me, whoa, it's me, whoa, it's my feet, whoa, it's my leg, whoa, it's my back, whoa, it's my head. Oh, get over it. Uh Amen.
And I believe with all my heart. That God's people should never Get down in the dumb, you say, preacher, I don't believe that, I know you don't believe it. You know why you don't believe it? Because you've been brainwashing all your life. You've been told everybody doing it.
It's okay to just show your faith. It's okay to just get down when the dumb sand and be yourself. That sounds good, both, but it's not in the word of God. And I believe with all my heart that God's people should never get down with the dump. You say, preacher, you don't know where I'm going there.
No, I don't. You don't know the storm I'm in. No, I don't. You don't know the valley I'm in. No, I don't.
I don't wanna stand. How well a husband and a wife can live together forty fifty years. And wake up one morning and say we don't love each other. I don't understand that. I don't understand how a man can leave town with another man while in the church.
I don't understand that. I don't understand how a young couple, a husband, a wife can pray for a baby and God don't see fit to open the womb. I don't understand that storm. But I know more than the Bible says God worked together all things. But the good to them that love God.
If you love God, say amen. If you love God, God is on your side. God is not against you. We got the mentality of God. God don't love me.
God is again a spy. I'm here to tell you, not only to tell you, but to show you for my own life that God is for us. God love earth. I have not always felt that way though. I will born the glutes.
Born dead. For eighty minutes. The Aud Sijan. Good thing I'm buying. Da Joa walk.
With that lamp, that's why I talk. Like I don't become Shwibopauji at birth. Store item number one. When I was 11 years old, a little boy. Mandatory God's sake.
November 9. and said stevo, my My dad died with Can't uh of the liver. Store item number two.
Well, I'm the baby of the family. I'm the baby of eight. And when I came along, they spoke with what? I'm not the bad spo, what I'm bread. And I love every minute of it.
My mom and what my mama gave me everything I wanted. And sometimes she even gave me things I don't want. You know why I'm me But I love my mama. I'm not only the baby of the family, but I'm a number one mama baby boy. You can tell by looking at me, I'm a mum boy.
But yeah, I got that mom and baby faith. Every morning my mom and I get up, we put our arm away and we joke, we tell each other, we love each other, nothing wrong. With loving your mama. Amen. I think everybody knew mama love it.
Everybody knew mama judge. They had something very special about my mama. And I'm not ashamed to tell you, I will be a number one mama baby boy until the day I die. Why? Because I love my mama.
One day in my lad though. My mom got sick. The woman I love, the woman I adore, the woman I watch up every morning. Incable. She went in the hodgepeter the day before Mother Day.
1968 there were operation on neck. A simple operation, no big deal. But July, though two months later, The doctor came to my family and said, Your mama will never come home again. She had cancer. She had six months.
At the very, very moment to lay off. Adao. No, my mom. My mom can't down me, mama, my mama shields me, my mama protects me, ma, my mama the only one that loves me, judged the way I am, ma. My mama can't down me.
Can she? I damn the only thing I know what to do. I got them on my needs every day. Every night I'd say, God, please. Don't take my mama, God, please.
Don't date my mom and God, please. Don't take my mama, God, my mama, the only thing I have, God. Don't take my mama, please. God dug my mom. The only one that loves me.
Judge the way I am. And I'd saw my patience, mom. Go from one eighty-five pound to fifty seven. Payments. Stroag number three.
I did a moment to live, I wanted to die. If I couldn't live with my mama, I did not want to live at all. Everywhere I went, somebody would point their finger and say, look, the boy walked and look, the boy can't talk funny, look, the boy can't do anything. Look, look, look. I couldn't go home to my mama.
I couldn't say, mama, somebody made fun of me. But today she couldn't pour her arm around me and make it all better. People look at me. I will lay in there every day, every night, with tears rolling down my face, begging to die. One because I was lonely, one because I was longing to be in my mama's arms one more time.
I thought if I could. If I only could climb up in my mama lap one more time, eh If I only could feel my mamma loving arms one more time, mamma would make it better, but but those days never came. You remember that song We some when we were a little boy. Our little girl. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Gently down the stream. Membly, memory, memory, memory, live eggs, but A doing Only one problem with that. Everybody got to wake up one day. And I woke up. And when I woke up and I felt like nobody loved me, I told my family give up on me.
Everybody gave up on me, but one sister, she encouraged me. She wanted me to go to school. I didn't want to go to school. I hated school. It's no fun to walk down the hallway and let somebody laugh at the way I walk and let somebody laugh at the way I talk.
It's no fun to walk down the bud stop every morning and every time I open my mouth trying to be friendly. Oh, I wanted somebody to be my friend. Oh, I wanted somebody to love me just the way I am. Oh, I wanted somebody to put their arm. while me and say it's gonna be okay but but every time I open my mouth somebody will point their finger in my face and call me retarded and every other name they go with they earn folks I don't want sides to give up me.
I'm hopeless. I'm worthless. I thought nobody loved me. I thought God was against me. Just give up on me.
She said, no, I'm not going to give up on you. I don't know what I'm going to do with you yet. But I'm sure I'm not going to give up on you. Thank God for a disturbance. Said Amen.
She want a man to go to church. I didn't want to go to church either. I've been brought up in the church. My dad is the preacher. I'm the preacher kid.
I know the lingo. I even know John 3, 16. But Jadwa said things don't make any sense. It's one thing to stand behind the pulpit and on Saturday morning and say, Well, God so love the That he gave the only begotten. Oh, that sounds so good and wonderful, don't it?
But it's another thing to wake up every morning with tears rolling down my face and say, God, do you love me? God, if you love me, why do you take away my daddy God? If you love me, why do you take away my mom and God? If you love me, why do you give me a cripple by the God? If you love me, why are you breaking my heart every time I turn around?
Goddamn, you love me. No, we argue where I need you the most. People look at me. I don't know you. But but I know one thing for sure, that most of you, if not all of you, have asked the same question, have you?
I guarantee you people, if I will open up your life today, I will find something way down deep crying out, God if you love me. Why, why, why? We got the mentality of God. God is against us. I've been there, folks.
And nobody understand your storm quite like you do. But one night I went to church Judge Mad Sidsta on my back. And that night I went there, I sat down. And the preacher got up to preach and I'd say, man, I wish you would shut up. You've been there yuti, huh?
Something happened in my life that changed my life forever. The Lord Jesus spoke up. And the Lord came to me and knocked at my heart. He said, David, I'm standing at your heart knocking. If you only listen to me and open the door, I will come in and I will fellowship with you forever and forever.
And that night I got up on my seat, came down to an old-fashioned altar, got down on my knees, and I said, Lord Jesus, here I am. If you really are there, if you really love me, come into my life. I'm a lonely cripple boy. I'm a nobody, but tonight I want to be a somebody. Hallelujah, people.
April 17th, 19. nineteen seventy at eight forty five P He him. I became a somebody because Jesus came into my life. For the first time in my life, I felt like God loves me, just the way I am. God took away my old thing and gave me new things.
God took... God took away my loneliness, gave me happiness. I'm not lonely anymore. I'm happy. You know why?
Because I've been to the daughter. Dr. J. Pretty good dice it to go to, amen. Number one.
You don't have to wait in a lobby for two hours. God took away my soul and gave me joy unspeakable and full of glory. Look at me, people, look at me. I still walk with a lamp. I still talk fun about the joy that floods my soul because Jesus touched me and made me whole.
I'm not that same anymore. I've been changed by the power of God. I've been touched by the old time religion. And it happened to me over 25 years ago. And you know what?
I'm not over it yet. Yeah. I don't want to die. I want to live one because I got something worth living for. People look at me.
It's not what we are on the outside. It's everything we are on the inside.
Well, we hate to break in here, but that's where we're going to have to end this episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. What a terrific presentation from David Ring as he spoke at Moody Bible Institute's Founders Week. And next time we're going to hear how God continued to work in David's life and how he met his wife and started a family. John, isn't it amazing that the Lord helped David develop into such a powerful speaker in spite of his speech impediment and physical challenges? What a great example of God's ability to work through any of us, no matter what our circumstances are.
And you know, this program does highlight our core mission here at Focus on the Family, and that is to introduce people to Jesus Christ. I hope you heard that clearly today in David's presentation. And if you've never accepted Christ into your life, I want to pray for you right now because you know what? It'll change the rest of your life for the better. Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, I want to pray on behalf of those who are bending their knee, maybe not physically, but mentally toward you right now. And we want to pray together, Lord, that we recognize ourselves as sinners. We fall short of your perfection. And yet, Lord, even in that, you love us and you care for us like a father loves his children. And Lord, we come to your throne asking for forgiveness and for you to come into our lives as broken people, Lord, to make us whole.
We acknowledge that you, Jesus, are the Son of God, and we thank you for your sacrificial death on the cross to pay for our sins and to give us eternal life. Come into our lives right now and change us into the people you want us to be. And we thank you in Christ's name. Amen. Well, amen.
And if you prayed along with Jim right there, stop by our website and look for a free online article we have called Coming Home. It'll give you some next steps for your spiritual journey ahead. And of course, look for a local church, plug in, find community. These are all things to help you grow in your faith. And let us know that you prayed that prayer.
And let me say, well done. Welcome to the family of God. Yeah, we would love to hear your story. Our number is 800, the letter A and the word family. And this reminder, we have David Ring's incredible biography, The Boy Born Dead.
Call us if you'd like to get a copy. You'll also find details about how you can get that when you follow the link in the show notes. And when you're online, be sure to look for that free collection of audio downloads called Enduring the Challenges of Life, which includes this riveting message from David Ring.
Next time you'll hear how God has used David to proclaim the gospel around the world. Thanks for listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Take a moment and leave a rating for us in your app and then share this episode with a friend, please. There is somebody you know who needs the encouragement that David offered. I'm John Fuller inviting you back next time as we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ.
Live your truth. A lot of people say that, don't they? But truth isn't something we decide. God has decided it for us, and it's our job as believers to share his truth with a world in need. I'll encourage you to do that through my podcast, Refocus with Jim Daly.
I visit with fascinating guests about important topics like gender confusion, cancel culture, and more, while helping you share God's love with others. Listen at refocus with JimDaily.com. Yeah.
