When God Turns Pain into Purpose

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Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Has God ever taken one of your heartest? Seasons, right? Like it was the best at times, it was the worst at times, right?

Grief, loss, disappointment. And now it seems like he's turned that. Into your ministry, or an opportunity that you've had to comfort others where you were once comforted, like it says in 2 Corinthians. You kind of live it out like, man, this Bible verse. It says, God comforted me through.

Cancer, or God comforted me through divorce, or God comforted me through. You know, the pain of abortion or whatever it may be. And now you find yourself. over there, right?

So let's talk about How God writes music. Out of our mess, so to speak. I want to hear your story. 866, the number to call in and share this. And I know it's a little.

courageous sometimes, but man, you just don't know how many people are struggling with exactly the same thing that would get so much out of what Your hardest season might bring 866-3486. 7, 8, 8, 4. I bet you've even noticed that God, some of his best music is in the minor keys, right? And so this Saturday night, very, very, very cool, I want to announce that the Twin City Bible Church on Ebert Street in Winston-Salem. It's got something really beautiful happening at 6:30.

It's called Hope in the Morning. We've had her on before, Emily Curtis with Hope in the Morning, but. They're going to have a whole event of right music and ministry where they're There's so many musicians here who've turned their pain into praise. And so it's really, really a neat opportunity that's going to be going on. And we would love for you to be part of that.

Emily, what would they need to do? Just show up at the church, Twin City Bible Church. It's a free event open to the public. And it starts at 6.30. It'll go till about 8 o'clock, the actual program.

And then afterwards, there's a meet and greet as well.

So there's coffee and cookies. And you'll be able to meet several of us that have been not only a part of the book project that we've talked about here before, but also a part of the ministry, Hope in the Morning. You can ask us all kinds of questions. You can share your testimony and just learn more about what the ministry is. Right.

And I'm very excited because I get to sometimes take part in her radio broadcast and I'll be there as well, too. And I would love to meet you if I've never met you. Or even if I have met you, I would still love to see you.

So again, it's going to be at Twin City Bible Church. Um But you know, one of the most powerful parts is that Like everybody in your team, right? This is like your theme verse. Like you've been through some serious stuff. And if you knew Emily's story, like, oh my goodness.

Uh Especially right before you started the radio show. Yeah, honestly, I mean, the Lord kind of worked as he always does in very mysterious ways. Because when I started the book and I started doing the book tour, which is actually how I met you, Robbie. I had not really been through a lot of sorrow. You know, I had been through, I think, one miscarriage at that point, maybe two.

And, um, And on top of that, my parents got divorced when I was four. And so I lived across the country from my dad and really didn't have a relationship with my dad. And that, I think, almost instilled a somber spirit within me from a very young age. I mean, you talk about minor music. I was a vocal major in college at the Masters University, which is the one that John MacArthur was the president of.

And my whole senior recital was on love and loss. And because those were the songs that I resonated with, you know, those songs in the minor keys, I started writing poetry very young. But at the time when you and Stu had talked to me about the potential of having a program here, I was newly pregnant, hadn't told anybody that. And we were just kind of thinking like, man, is this going to be the right timing for this? We don't know.

And so we just said, well, we need to pray about it. We'll let you know in October if this is a good fit for us. And September came around, and we found out that my dad was, he thought he had kidney stones, and he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer that had already metastasized. And he found that out at the Johnny and Friends donor fundraiser that they were actually doing.

So they found out in California and they came out to North Carolina and my dad had asked me, honey, please don't tell the kids. He was very close to my kids. And he said, I want to be the one to tell them because I want to share the gospel with them in the midst of telling them.

So we said, okay, we won't tell them, but let's add a little bit of joy to the day. And so we are going to do our gender reveal on the same day that you tell the kids.

So there's a little bit of light in the sky. This is the baby that's coming. Yes, the baby that's coming. And we were really hoping that it was a boy because we wanted to name him after my dad. And at the time we found out it was a boy and we were so excited.

My mom and I went out and did a bunch of baby clothes shopping just to bring a little bit of joy to a very dark season for us. Um And so long story short, we were going to name that baby Edison because we thought he was going to be a light in a dark time. And we went to my 13-week appointment and there was no heartbeat. And even after having genetic testing done, no reason why he should have died. I was healthy, the baby was healthy, no reason.

And that was really hard. And yet, we saw, so my baby died on October 1st, is when he was. delivered and and my dad passed away on October 19th. And we came and told you guys, I think, let's see, October, maybe November. We said, you know, we've prayed about it and we think that not only is the Lord saying yes, us doing this program, but we feel Even more equipped, if that makes sense, because of the sorrow the Lord had just brought us out of.

Yeah, and to hear her talk about it now Um it doesn't reflect what we saw in the November, December, January, like we're starting to get this show going. I could see that it it was like really, really, really hard. Um for our listeners you know Different people have different relationships with their dad. Yeah. You had a very unique relationship with your dad and This was a really Yeah, I mean, that that makes me emotional because I did.

And you know, I mean, you and I have had an episode recently that actually airs, I think, the end of March. Um with you, me and Stu talking about our dads and there is something so Profoundly special when you get a good dad, and because of, like I had mentioned, my parents divorced me when I was four, I did not grow up with a dad, and I longed for that. Um, you know, I would see other little girls with their dad, and I wanted that, I wanted that closeness, I wanted someone that made me feel loved and valued. My mom was an amazing mom. But I didn't have that daddy aspect.

And the Lord in his kindness when I was 10 years old brought about Robert. And he married my mom, and not only did he love my mom so deeply, but he loved my brother and I. And we were not at easy ages to love. You know, we were 10 and 13. And, but the Lord in his kindness, it was like, my dad, I call him my dad, and in my heart, he's 100% my dad.

And he, at 10 years old and 13 years old, he had been a youth pastor. And he said, you know, this is, I want to take you on. And not only that, but he stepped into our family and he told my mom, You've had to be mom and dad all these years and now you don't. Let me be the dad. I will be the disciplinarian.

You just get to love them now. And that was such a beautiful gift to us. But man, did he love us fiercely, all the way to the point where I had really gone through a very deep rebellion at between the ages of twelve and thirteen. And as I mentioned, my dad had been not only the youth pastor, but the associate pastor of the church we were attending. And my dad ended up resigning his position because he said, you know, my number one calling is you.

You're my number one ministry. And so I need to not focus on all these other children right now. I'm going to leave the 99 and focus on the one. And that had a profound impact on me. But my dad was the one that through the years, he was my greatest spiritual mentor.

And I would go to him in the hardest of my seasons with the hardest things. And even when we lost that baby, which we renamed James, because we thought, you know, after James won, consider it all joy when you encounter many trials. And I'll say to the listeners, I did not consider it joy. When we lost that baby, my heart was completely shattered. And actually, when I first did an interview with you, Robbie, right before we launched Hope in the Morning, and it was kind of our interview to launch that, I was actually in the midst of another miscarriage after James.

And we named each of our babies, and we named that baby Kina, which in Hebrew means to lament. And the Lord has definitely taken our lament into praise, ultimately. You can see what an amazing event is coming up at Twin City Bible Church. You know, all these. People in her ministry have got similar experiences to share where they found hope in the morning.

M-O-U-R-N-I-N-G.

So we're going to be right back with a whole lot more with Emily and you, hopefully. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live, yes? There is hope in the morning and Sometimes it's hard to see and Oh my goodness, God. Does not waste pain.

And so there's a question. And again, your testimonies, just like Emily's, could really help somebody that is going through something. And that's really the magic that God puts into things like this that you can't see until sometimes you get on the other side.

So when has God taken one of your hardest seasons, right? And I often think about when I went cancer through cancer, Um it was about it Literally a four-year period of time. And I would always say, man, it was the worst of times, but it really was the best of times. Mm-hmm. I never leaned on God like that.

until that happened. And the intimacy that was revealed through that. But you got a feeling of that over the last.

So I would. You know what? You've had that happen. You're listening and you're saying, I had a call. You should.

866-348-7884. There's nothing like. A testimony. In other words, this is how we overcome, is through him, and he's the hero of those stories. And to hear God on the radio is an amazing thing.

And so I love it when you call. And we would love to hear yours. 866-348-7884. And so it's kind of neat that. Uh a lot of musicians And a lot of artists Right?

They they Uh to an extent they operate in that minor key. And so This is what we're going to see in these musicians, professional musicians that are going to be there. Yeah. Saturday night, 6:30, right? Yeah, we actually have the pianist and the violinist, they've shared their testimony, not only in our book, but also on our program.

And they had a little baby girl, Annabelle. She lived for 40 minutes. And their testimony is incredible. Like, I would definitely recommend go to Hope in the Morning and listen to that episode. It's called 40 Minutes.

And they talk about how they made the most of that pregnancy knowing that she had a terminal condition. And it's pretty incredible. I mean, she literally went wedding dress shopping while she was pregnant because she was like, this is my only opportunity that I'm going to get to have to do this with my daughter. But they love the Lord and they share their testimony with such hope. And that's one of the things we talk about.

Our, you know, our slogan for Hope in the Morning is turning tragedies and tears into testimonies of hope. And that's what it is. And as you and I have talked, Robbie, just because you have shared your testimony on here, or even a caller that might call in and shares their testimony. They don't need to feel like their trial needs to have this pretty bow on it. They could be in the midst of their trial and be talking about how the Lord is currently ministering to them.

Maybe He's ministering to them just through their tears at night, realizing that they're not alone. That when their heart feels so heavy and burdened, and they feel like no one understands, maybe no one does understand, but the Lord does. And you can take it directly to him, and there's such a There's such a like sigh of just relief, right? When we realize we can take this. To someone who does fully understand.

And so, you know, I would encourage those that are listening as far as calling in, don't think that you have to have a perfect bow on it. It's okay to be in the midst of it. Oh, believe me. And I can even remember, and I bet you can too. Is saying Uh God, I can't pray about this right now.

I can't even take it to you. Uh It's just beyond anything that I can grasp. He can he's big enough for that too. Yeah. When you see that all throughout the Psalms, With David, which is such a beautiful thing, and which is something that we're gonna be doing through this music, is the act of worship through lament, praising.

Through the pain. It doesn't mean the pain is over. It means that you've learned that God is trustworthy even amidst the pain. Right. Jeremiah wrote a whole book on the subject.

Lamentation. I mean, absolutely amazing thing that. God had all that. Because if anybody went through some stuff, man, I mean, Jeremiah, oh my goodness. Yet he let.

He somehow or another allowed that in Jeremiah's life knowing that that book was critical to people who are going through that stuff like like Job so we got Kelly is in Lexington and she's written a book so Kelly, you're on Truth Talk Live. We're so grateful for your call today. Hi there. Yes, my name is Kelly Leonard. I am a man, but My wife went to heaven like a year and a half ago.

And I've actually written the book. It's being published right now. It's probably about a month out. It's called Pressing Old Towards a Prize. I'm sorry.

Something came in right when you gave the title. What's it called? Pressing on towards the prize. Oh wow. Um I was at a church service one night And I felt like the only thing I had looked forward to at the time was a Wednesday night church service because at the time I was a restaurant manager and I had to work on Sundays.

And And foolish me, I just thought I had only one day to celebrate the work the word of the Lord. Ahem. And But this preacher put a message out that I got something to look forward to every day. I got something to look forward to Christ every day, writing what's on my heart, serving Him, diving into Scripture.

So I started writing stories. It's really helped. With my healing and my grief about special memories. Um I think of a special memory and I I put a Scripture. And then I write the story around that, and then I have a prayer and a reflection for the reader.

So it's type of a devotional. And um Wow, so those you know, we've talked before on Hope in the Morning, Emily, on how You know, God hits you with a memory or something, and it cuts like a knife, man. It breaks you to your knees, and you're taking that. And and writing and ushi that's beautiful, man. Yeah.

Yes, it has helped me heal a lot. I'm also serving as a grief share facilitator, helping others through their grief. And um Thumbs. You know, Psalms 147, 3, The Lord healeth the broken heart and bindeth up their wounds.

Now I'm going to still be healing until I see her in heaven. But the Lord, it does bind up your wounds and He does heal. If you just cry out to Him. A lament. And He'll use His grace to go into the parts of your heart and help you And You know, I I love the Lord.

And uh What was what was your wife's name, Kelly? Uh Michelle. Michelle. And so how long were you and Michelle married? We were married for two and a half years.

Oh my. And definitely newly weds. Like, oh my goodness. Right after in twenty twenty two, we got married in January of twenty twenty two and In August of 2022, she Just decided to get, she turned her heart over to the Lord and she decided to get baptized. And then a month later, she had a We found out she had a tumor in her eye, and it was melanoma.

Really? In October of 2022, we had the eye got to have her eye removed and that was Scary enough. And when she woke up from the surgery, She said, Jesus talked to me. that everything will be okay. That was her face picking.

Hmm.

So I had to tell about that, you know, and And after her eye was removed, We would talk people would talk about her surgery, and she said, I know it was awful, I still have nightmares about it, but let me tell you what my Jesus done for me. She would tell about her faith in God, and I thought, oh, I know we're going to be there half an hour. She'd be talking about Jesus. And I have to tell her story about her faith in God too.

So Yeah, and not a lot. What a What an amazing Gift he gave you to put that in writing down as those moments. touch you and so Had you been a Christian prior to her becoming a Christian? Yes, yes. S when we got married, uh she s she s she said she went to the w believed in God and was a Christian.

But then she found out she didn't have that relationship with him. Right, right. But I would always pray. We would always pray every night, pray every morning. Kelly, that music means we've got to go to a break.

Will you stay on with us? That would mean so much to me. I can. I'm kidding. I'm actually.

Helping a guy out with a restaurant delivering equipment right now, but I can do all I can for you.

Well, thank you, Kelly. That's amazing. I appreciate it. We're going to be right back. We need your calls too, 866-348-7884.

You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Ah Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. Today we are so blessed to have Emily. Curtis with his Hope in the Morning and their event that's coming up this Saturday night at 6:30. And Emily, you had something for Kelly you wanted to tell.

Yeah, I was going to say that one of the things I think is really neat that is great for the listeners to understand is that here in the midst of your sorrow, you've chosen service as part of your healing. You know, you talked about how you are sharing in grief share and you're helping other people that are going through grief. I think that there's a really poignant aspect of that to our grief when we choose to share not only what we've been through, but really try to walk other people through that.

So have you found that to be really helpful and healing in your journey? Uh yes, I have. I actually look forward to helping people at Grief Share or Grief Counseling. Yeah, I feel more comfortable with that. Besides going to church, uh I feel just at home, it it gives me a a purpose.

Yeah, I love that. Absolutely beautiful. I think that's important, you know, and that's one of the reasons why we share testimonies on Hope in the Morning as well, because not only does that comfort those that are listening, but there is sort of a comfort when you share your own story and you realize where God's hand is evident, which there are many areas where God's hand, we don't see it all, right? Because God is behind the scenes and everything. But when you share your story in a verbal manner or even in a written manner, as you've done, Kelly.

It allows you to really kind of see the weavings, which I think allows you to take that pain and turn it to praise because you can see more readily how the Lord has already worked through your sorrow. Yeah, it's beautiful. Kelly, we'll let you get back to Helping your friend, but I would highly recommend, and we would love to see you, by the way, since you're in Lexington. You could easily come to Twin City Bible Church Saturday night if you're available. We would love to get you.

Yeah, I plan on doing it. That would be wonderful. Yeah, and tell your friends at Grief Share. Everyone is welcome. And we would love to have people there that you'll have a lot of people there that are like minded and likehearted, that have been through trials and now they want to share their testimonies and turn it into praise.

That's wonderful. All right. Thank you, my friend. God bless you. Thank you for calling in.

That takes courage. And wow, courage to write a book in that situation. God bless. Bye-bye. How about you?

I know you're thinking, well, I ought to call in. You should. You should. It'd be great. You don't still know, man.

Somebody's lost their wife. I I You know, one of my best friends, Bob Young, lost his son to a tragic overdose. But like Kelly has found ministry in the midst of that. And I can't tell you how many people have lost a son and they find Bob at their side because he And he was so close to his son. I mean, it was one of those that just rips your heart out to.

To have you ever heard that story? I have not.

So that What actually happened, you know, he'd just my Christian junkyard guy for years and the Christmas of 2000 And the eight It must have been. Six um one oh nine. Anyway, it was yeah. Bob was supposed to do the show and he got sick. Christian Cargas show.

And he said But my son just got out of Alpha Acres because he's gotten off drug abuse, whatever. And he's got a wonderful testimony, which I said, well, send him.

So Rob comes over, which is Bob's son. And he's on fire for God, man. And he is Sharing how he saw the trees cry out and all this stuff from Isaiah. And it's just a beautiful sound bite that we will all forever have in our mind.

Well, you know, that was Christmas Day.

Well, Bob's business was 109 UPullit. We live right down the street from that. Right. Well his son On one oh nine. I guess it was later than ni eighty ni ninety nine.

But anyway, whenever it was, the the the actual calendar date was the f the ninth of January. Wow. He finds his son unfortunately relapsed. And he didn't make it. And it was just brutal because he had such relationship and we had such hope.

Um But Again, God Has ministered to Bob, who has ministered to so many. And even he ministered to the man that sold his son the drugs. Wow. Wow. Right?

That You know, he's had conversations, helped him, you know, with his drug situation. It's amazing to see what God does in the midst of that stuff.

So you're sitting on that story, and we would love to hear it. 866-348-7884-866-34 TRUTH again, this event coming up. Is just an opportunity to see, you know, God's going to show up and show out. Yeah. And not just through.

Which I've heard this Violin, like if you like the violin, like man, you're gonna like this, you're gonna you're gonna enjoy this, but also in lyrics. And you yourself are a poet, right? Yeah, I'm a poet, and as I mentioned before, a classically trained singer.

So I'm gonna actually be closing out the night with a solo. But I wanted to make a quick statement based on what the story was that you just shared, which is that Hope in the Morning is a very expansive grief ministry.

So it's not just the loss of a spouse or a child or even a parent. It goes beyond that, which I think is really a unique thing to our ministry as believers. Because just as you mentioned, Rob was a believer and yet he relapsed and it cost him his life. And I think within the church, it's important that we remember that just because we're believers doesn't mean that we are immune to things like anxiety, addiction, depression. And part of what we tackle head on at Hope in the Morning is how do we show the love of Christ?

To our brothers and sisters who are in those circumstances. And oftentimes, those become hidden struggles because we feel like, as Christians, we can't bring those things to light. Which is, that's Satan talking. That's not what Christ wants. Christ wants us to bear one another's burdens, to speak truth to one another.

And that's what we really aim to do on Hope in the Morning: not only encourage the listener who is in that valley, but also equip the church to know how can you effectively walk beside people. And you know, it started with our book. That's what our book really helps point people to in a very educational manner, where at the end of every testimony, it's what was helpful and what was hurtful. It's very, it's very helpful in equipping, but also, you know, on our show, we share these testimonies. You know, you were with me, Robbie, when we shared the testimony of a man who had been in depression for seven straight years.

Oh, and it was horrible. I mean, I've heard depression, but this man really suffers. Yeah. And I mean, you'll see a clip of that when you come to the program on Saturday night. You'll see a clip of his testimony.

But he's also, as we had mentioned, he's a musician. He is. And so although he lives in Seattle, and so we couldn't fly him in at this point because this is also a fundraiser. And so we're trying to be mindful of our funds.

So we couldn't fly him in right now. But his music video, Dear Friend, is going to be shown that night. And he talks about how for seven years, if you asked him, how did God comfort me? He would tell you he didn't. But as he reflected after God brought him out of that depression, he realized it was the friends that God gave him that really were that light to him.

And that's what we want to be, right, as believers. We want to be that dear friend that can point people to the Lord. when they're in their absolute darkest days. That's when they need the light the most, right? Absolutely.

It's absolutely beautiful. We have Emily is in Reidsville, North Carolina. Emily, you're on Truth Talk Live.

So what you got? Hey there. Yes, this is Emily. Robbie, I was on your show on Valentine's Day. My husband Tim and I were on.

Oh, yeah.

So it's good yes, hey there. It's good to talk to you again. Absolutely. Yes. Yes.

Just to share a little bit of my story. Hi, Emily. My name is Emily as well. My name is spelled with an IE at the end. It was my grandmother's name.

Beautiful. But I would love to share just a little bit of my story. I have a very similar story with my dad. My dad was a compulsive gambler, was not there for me growing up. Was it very much And I try not to cry, but I probably will.

Yeah. Was an absentee father? You know, just not in my life. I'd see him about three or four times a year. Um coming home for holidays, but he lived did not live in in our house with us.

He was very much absent.

So I'm very much identified with your story. My husband and I had the chance through our ministry, Journey Home Ministries, to share The hope of the gospel and the hope of the restoration of Christ, that only He can bring us. And I share my story through my testimony during our presentation.

So basically, I've divided into three parts, and I have the privilege of sharing my testimony with our audience. And um I just just share the truth of what God has done in my life and the healing and the as I said, the restoration only he can bring. You know, because it it's all from him. And um I met Tim almost twenty years ago, but Tim began telling me, Emily, you're fearfully, wonderfully made. even before we were married we were just dating, but he said that to me in a you know totally changed my life because It was the truth.

The truth of God's word. Emily, you're fearfully and wonderfully made from Psalm 139, and it changed me so much because. I was a believer, but I did not understand who I was in Christ. I didn't understand the depth of who I was in Christ. And Tim's telling me that verse just Totally changed me, revolutionized my faith in my life and taught me really who I am in Christ.

You know, I'm fearfully, wonderfully amazed. My plans have been planned out by God. long before I was born.

So I just wanted to be an encouragement today that, Emily, I identify with your story. I thank you for sharing your story because it's going to help many other people. who have similar stories.

So I thank you for doing that. And I will be praying for your ministry definitely. Or Emily, I this Emily too. Yes. Emily with the IE.

I know everybody listening is so what happened with your dad?

Well That's a great question. Um First of all, he was 55 when I was born. I'm the youngest of four kids. He um He had a lot of struggles growing up. He really didn't have a a good father and I know that's not an excuse, but it it doesn't really help the situation.

His father was a lawyer and very much into his, um his business stuff and He had a good mom, but the dad wasn't very much involved in his life, so he didn't really have a good role model. But um basically the main problem with my dad was he did know the Lord. He didn't did not know the Lord. And um My mom became a Christian after they Read. Right?

And so the Lord had worked in her life miraculously, gotten her into church. and um saved her. And my dad, to our knowledge, d never my dad never became a Christian. Um he passed when I was seventeen. He was seventy two years old, passed away.

Um so that that was shocking for me too because Honestly, I didn't know the Lord yet, so I didn't know the Lord until I was nineteen in college. And so that two years later, I knew the Lord, but like hav having lost my dad, not really being able to talk to him About The struggle he had put all four of us kids through was difficult. And I couldn't really talk to him like I wanted to. I wish I could talk to him now, but of course I can't. Yeah.

That music means we've got to go to a break. And I know that Emily has got some things for you. I do as well. I'm so grateful for your call. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

And we got to see you at the NRB, too. You guys want to see that?

So we'll be right back. And we need your call: 866-348-7884. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. Today is Hope in the Morning.

As we've heard throughout the show, the wonderful calls about how God. Um How do you put it turns Turns trials and tears into testimonies of hope. There you go. And so we haven't heard yours yet.

So you could call us still at 866-348-7884. We have Emily 2 on with us. And so, Emily 1, I know you've got some stuff for Emily, too. Yeah, I was going to say a couple things. One thing, I think, to some of the listeners that might be listening, especially if there's some younger guys listening, one of the things you had said, Emily, that I thought was so important is you said that your dad didn't have a good fatherly example himself.

And one of the things that I learned when I was in college, actually, and dating a man that I'm so thankful did not become my husband, is that it's not enough to have an example of what you don't want to be, right? We all need people in our lives that can be an example of what we hope to be, whether that's as a parent or spiritually speaking. We have to have that. And, you know, whether it's for the young women that are listening, Find a man that has a faithful example in his life of what it looks like to be a godly husband, a godly father, a godly man in general. And also look for those examples in your own life.

Find mentors. If you don't have a great mother or a great father, find a mentor, somebody that you can seek to emulate because. It makes a big difference. If you only have something that you don't want to emulate, you will inevitably emulate them. That's just the reality of it.

And I was talking to Robbie, Emily, before you called about the fact that when you have a father like that, I actually resonate very much with your story. I actually only saw my dad from the time I was four. I only saw my dad once a year for about a week, a year. And so, you know, you think about that. And now I have children of my own.

And I look at my kids and I think, how could you, I could never only see my child once a year and be content with that. And And so there was really like this deeply rooted sense of rejection. That took place in my heart as a little girl. And that affected the way that I viewed the Lord, actually, because I felt like maybe God doesn't want me either. And really, I have had to work, I'd say my whole life, work.

Towards not trying to be such a people pleaser because when you have that root of rejection, You kind of feel like you're constantly grasping at wanting people to accept you and wanting people to like you. And Robbie shared with me that you and your husband are musicians. Is that right? Yes, my husband, Tim, is a musician. He sings and writes his own music and I share my story.

That's kind of my part. I don't sing as well as he does, but he is the singer, the gifted singer. But I completely hear what you're saying. I mean, when I met Tim, it was like all these struggles coming out of fear of abandonment, fear of never being loved, no one's ever gonna and feel fear of someone rejecting me, just like you said.

So it's like I echo completely with what you're saying. Yeah. Having a father there is so crucial. Especially to I think to a young lady's development. Having a father figure there is so crucial.

Thank God I had a good mom because my mom is amazing and she was there for me. She became she was a Christian when I was born. And she guides me to the Lord. You know what I mean?

So thank God for her because without her, I'm not sure where I would be. I completely resonate with that too. My mom was incredible as well. And here, she did function as mom and dad for. Man, really 10 years, you know, because even when she was married to my dad, he was absent even then.

Um but I would say it's so It's such a wonderful testimony when you see a parent that's willing to step in and be both roles as best they can. You know, they'll make them feel perfectly. We do these boot camps with Masculine Journey, and it's very much on the subject of fathered by God. Yeah. Because.

Everybody, boy, girl, right, their relationship with God is affected by their Father. Oh, yes. And Jesus said He's the way to what? The Father. And the idea of that to some extent As you begin to peel back the layers and you see them, and we actually do this exercise when we do the Father-by-God talk.

Is think about all the fathers that God sent into your life. Because ultimately, Even though you're biological father wasn't, but he sent you your stepfather. He sent, obviously, Tim into your life, Emily. But there's been other people. And even though I had a really good, godly dad, there are lots of other fathers.

That God sent into my life because he was orchestrating this other thing. But the fascinating thing is what you guys are describing as the orphan spirit, right? It's. It's this idea of Wow, I I'm on my own. I've got nobody to lean on.

Nobody's going to be able to to pick up the pieces. And the beautiful thing that you pointed out, Emily, is that they don't have an example Okay.

Well, the truth is, the only real example is Jesus is there. And when you want to look at the picture of what a real father looks like, what a real man looks like. Jesus is right there, and the closer we can get to him, Through people like Tim and through like your husband, right, as well. It's an amazing thing, but also. Then we get to share how God came for us.

And you're ministering to through your testimony, Emily 2 and Emily 1, but through your testimony from stage, right, when you're with Tim. You're doing that very thing that she's doing here, which is comforting others with the comfort that you're comforted with, right? That's right. And as I said earlier, God has just miraculously healed me from so many struggles. Things that I used to struggle with, I still don't struggle with.

But you know, times, Emily, you can understand they pop up. And things because, you know, those are things that are, like you said, they're rooted in your in your being from a from being a child and those different things like the fears, they will pop in sometimes, but um I'm so thankful for a solid husband and a godly husband that has helped me so much. And a fun guy to be around, too, by the way. I mean, he wrote the song Jesus is cooler than ketchup. I mean, you know.

That's right. Yep. And so I would say that. You know, you guys ought to come like 6:30 Saturday night. I would love to meet you, Emily.

You and your husband. That would be so much fun to meet you. That would be awesome. Because you have such, I was like, they have so much in common. And the funny thing is, you were both at the NRB for the first time.

Yeah. Um, I don't know if you knew that okay, they were there for the first time, too. And in both cases, I wanted to talk to both of you, but every time I looked up from the mic, it was like, I'm interviewing another person. Oh, there's Emily. Oh, oh, that's awesome!

Yeah, yeah, we were definitely there. We had the best time there. We did too. We had a great time. Yeah, that's awesome.

Yeah, we would love to come on Saturday. That would be awesome. We would love to meet you. Robbie and I will both be there. And my husband, Brent, which is very similar to Tim, it sounds like he's just been.

I was telling Robbie, my husband Brent is just this cool, calm, and collected, even-tempered, loves the Lord. Nothing shakes him, and he just such a blessing. Yeah, and my secret weapon will be there too. Amazing. My wife, Tammy.

She's a pastor's wife. We love to meet her, too. Every pastor needs a secret weapon. And she is. Yes.

Yes. That's great. It is. It is. I hope we get to see you.

Thank you for your call, Emily. Your courage to call in and share that about your dad. It's tough stuff. We'll look forward to meeting you on Saturday. Welcome.

Yes, that sounds great. Thank you so much. And I want to tell you quickly, we just bought your book on Amazon. Wonderful. Oh, that's a resource.

We're excited about that, too. That is awesome. We're excited. Thank you. I'll say while she just mentioned that, that we're actually going to have books for sale at the event as well.

And we will have them on a special price for those that come at night. But it's a great resource not only for the individual, but for your pastor. Oh, I can't tell you how many I've had it out. Yeah. As a pastor, like, oh, you're going through this.

Well, here. And like the testimony you told. About the girl who's still going through it, right? She binge-watched all the episodes because it brought her some relief through all the struggle. Yeah, because you know what?

First of all, you feel like I'm not alone in this struggle, which is a big part of what we want to do. We want people to understand your trials are not, they're not unique to you, although obviously every trial is unique in its own way. That's why we don't say things like, I totally understand what you're going through, because you don't. Everyone is individual. But at the same time, suffering is not unique.

That's something that we all will experience. If you live long enough, you'll experience suffering. And I was actually telling you, Robbie, earlier that one of the things I love about having you as a co-host on Hope in the Morning is that there's always something that you can relate to these people. I go home and I tell my husband, I'm like, this is incredible. Like, Robbie has all of these different connections.

And, you know, I mean, that's because you've suffered through. You've lived. A good portion of suffering, but it allows you to connect with these people. And that's what we want to do on Hope in the Morning. We want people to know you're not alone.

And we will help, as I like to say, we will help be the Aaron to your Moses and help uplift your weary hands when they're too heavyhearted to raise on their own. And sometimes you need other believers to come alongside and remind you of truth that's already there, but you just your vision is clouded because. You're you're in grief. And that's what we want to be. That's the one in others, right?

That's how we can be the hands and feet of Christ. And that looks like stepping into people's suffering, which is so unlike.

Society. I heard this yesterday on a show I did with Roy Jones, and it so affected me. I mean, it affected me, and it still affects me. It said that. You know There was that man that four of his friends carried him on his mat.

to see Jesus. It's a picture of that, right? And he said, every one of us at some point in time are going to be on the map. Yeah. And we need to have Those friends.

that are going to carry us. Because when you're there, you don't have the strength to carry. Absolutely, but I mean, even beyond that, Rob, when you think about that whole picture, not only did they carry him, they hoisted him onto a roof, they opened the roof, they lowered him back down, and their faith had faith as his friends that the Lord was going to carry them, right?

So their faith helped heal this man, right? And so. You know, it's a beautiful opportunity to share what you have Again, this Saturday night, if you happen to be in this area, it's going to be worth it. You're going to come to Twin City Bible Church. That's what it is.

It's on Ebert Street, Winston-Salem. It's right off Silas Creek Parkway. Ebert Street, Twin City Bible Church, 6:30. I hope to see you. Yeah.

Bye. Yeah.