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This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Why are you grateful to be an American?
Or some people say, why are you proud to be an American? 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. I'm sitting here in the studio with a guy who just wrote a song for my show named Amory Chesterton. And no joke, this guy is the first cousin of who now? G.K.
Chesterton? G.K. Chesterton. That's right. Father Brown stories in the Epistles in England.
Oh my gosh. And we want to know what you think. Why are you grateful to be an American? We've got my friend, Pastor Dana Coverstone out of Kentucky on the line. I don't know if he's there.
Are you there, Pastor Dana? I am. I am. Welcome to the show, brother. Thank you.
It's good to be on. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Now, you said you moved from Berksville, Kentucky. You've got a new church.
Is that right? Yes, I'm I'm pastor in Full Gospel of Simon God in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. And I spent 15 years in in Brooksville. Enjoyed my time, loved the people there in the church. Just felt God was leading me in a different direction.
So we've been up here at Full Gospel, some of God's. Since the end of January, and bought a house and living in a whole different region of Kentucky, but loving it, loving it, loving it.
Well, let me ask you this question. Why are you grateful, Pastor Dana, to be an American?
Well, I'll tell you, I've been privileged in the past to have traveled quite a bit. I've been to forty six different countries. All over Europe. I have visited three nations in Africa, but what happened in Europe is what really got my attention. I was able to visit five of the death camps.
In Poland, Germany and Russia, I was able to visit Normandy, Utah and Omaha Beach. And the French Arlington Cemetery, where some of our soldiers that were. Killed at Normandy were buried. And it gave me an incredible perspective on America. You know, I don't know what would have happened had America not joined World War II.
I I I I don't even want to think about what it could have been like. And in my family, my father was a World War II veteran. and uh was on the was on uh was on the tarmac ready to go to japan when they uh when we dropped the first bomb on nagasaki and Hiroshima and I was able to say here But I learned long ago that this country Is an incredible place. The people who have fought and died, who shed blood. I had, hey, my grandfather was World War I veterans.
I had World War II veterans, every war you can imagine in America. I've had people in my relation to, you know, in my direct family line that was there. And I know what it was like that you know, they fought for my country, and they fought for this. They shed their blood, they gave their lives. and that risk their lives.
And when you look at the freedoms that we have in this country, there is no other country like this. Reagan said, you know, where else are you going to go? There's no place like America. And I'm not just proud because of the freedoms, I'm proud because of I can raise my family. I can marry my wife and have my kids, and I can raise them in a country that understands the value of faith.
Understands sound financial tendencies, although many of the government aren't practicing those things. But I'm proud to be an American because There's no place else like this. And it took people, people from all over the world that came to this melting pot and created what we are. I'm thankful for Founding Fathers that put their faith in action. And you know those who stood up against King George, they lost everything.
There were wars, there were battles, there were fights. And that the American Revolution truly was that. It revolutionized this part of the world to help us become what we are. And outside of even the faith aspect, Uh I can live m I can live I've been to countries That were formerly communist. I was in Germany right after the wall fell.
I was in Russia right after the wall fell. And I got to see some of the hard line fruit of communism and socialism. and uh so concerned about what's happening in America with with the the democratic socialism that's that's that's having candidates win. but I saw the fruit and I heard from people who were there. about how wonderful it was that the Iron Curtain was down, that capitalistic ideas were coming in, that they could purchase things and buy things they'd never had the chance to buy.
So I talked to some of those people in Germany, I talked to some of those people in Russia who had never had those opportunities that we take for granted simply take for granted in this country. And I'm proud to be an American, proud that my kids were born and raised Here in America, proud that they know that the flag that flies outside of my home stands for the love that I have for this nation. And I'm grateful to be here. Grateful God called me to preach to my nation, to my home, to my to the states that I've been in preaching. Thankful that I can raise my family here.
It's just Um it gets me deeply. I brought back uh I brought back about thirty pounds of the Berlin Wall when I came home in 1990. I rented a hammer and a chisel for five Deutschmarks. And I hammered and I chizzled for about an hour. And in my office, I've got a large chunk.
And it's got an infrared sensor on the back to confirm it's actually genuine from the wall. But I look at that piece of the wall from time to time and I think about how Lucky. How blessed I am. to live in this country. And so I appreciate a chance to call in and say that.
Yeah, and we've got we've got a and if you'll stay on the line for just a second, we've got a Carrie who's called in from Dallas, Texas. And Carrie, let me ask you this. Why are you grateful to be an American Carrie?
Well uh I Hold on a second, I'm gonna get ready to select, but um Oh, go ahead, lady. Oh, that's fine. Um Born and raised in here. wrote a blank and check, served my country as a marine. And how much we appreciate how much we take for granted what we have this in a great country that we have.
I'm absolutely grateful because I do believe, according to scripture, That is God who raises up kings and kingdoms, and I believe he raised us. in this founding, a foundation of a Judeo Christian That honors him, that glorifies him, and I'm grateful for that. And at the same time, I must also say We are squandering it. And we need to repent. We need to get back to the basics.
We need to. Not repeat what was done in the Old Testament with the children of Israel forsaking God. And he had to send profits, he had to send judgments. And I see that happening to this Awesome, great country that we have, and if we do not repent, and it starts with us as the body of Christ. We're gonna be turned over.
We're gonna follow those and repeat history over again, but I am grateful for this country. I am grateful for every man and woman. I see them as an equal. Where uh We what we take for granted in that. You can go to different parts of the world.
The running water we have, the ability to take a shower, to eat, to have access to medical care, Some of these people in the wrong world don't have any any of this that we take for granted. Yeah, yeah. And so, Carrie, thank you for serving our country as a Marine. Let me ask you this: what are you doing for America's 250th?
Well, I'm in, I'm originally in North Carolina, but I'm down here in Dallas, Texas for work.
So I am going to go to watch my. I was born and raised in Michigan, so I'm going to go watch my Detroit Tigers. Play the Texas Rangers for the 4th of July.
Okay.
Okay.
And how about you, Pastor Dana? What are you doing for the 4th?
Well, believe it or not, we're going to try to get to some fireworks here in town, but In the house that I bought, we had to move a pool. I actually, yeah, I got rid of a pool. And I'm going to be scratching some dirt, planting some grass seed, putting some fertilizer down, covering it with straw, and then going to watch fireworks, hoping that nobody's fireworks land in my backyard with that dry straw. And I appreciate that. The phone number is 866-34TRUTH-866-348-7884.
And Amory, you're actually, you grew up where now? I grew up in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which is a British overseas territory colony.
Okay, now why are you grateful to be an American?
Well, can I just tell you, it takes an entire revolution in any European country what an American can do here freely. And that's really based upon the founding stones that our founding fathers had in this country, which is really built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it's it's so important that As we take refuge in the Lord What is a nation that is established? It is that nation established upon his word, and we surely cannot turn away. Amen.
And we want your calls: 866-348-7884. This is Michael Zwick. We've got Pastor Dana Coverstone. And Kerry, thanks for calling in as well. We'll be right back after this break.
Truth talks.
Okay.
You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Hey, welcome, welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Michael Zwick. We had Dana Coverstone on the phone, but we've also got a Dr. Shaw.
Dr. Shaw, your phone number was not showing up. Are you there, sir? All right.
Well, we'll wait on him. But Dana Coverstone, are you there, sir? I still am, yes. Yeah, man.
So you said that you're grateful to be an American, but you said that there are some people who want socialism in this country and they don't like what's happening right now. I'm going to give me one second because I'm trying to get Dr. Shaw on as well, but I'll let you respond to that. Dr. Shaw, are you there?
Am here. Can you hear me okay? Yes, I can. I'm sorry about that. We didn't realize you were on the phone.
But you just made a, we've got Dr. Shaw and Pastor Dana Coverstone on the phone. But I didn't realize, Dr. Shaw, you just came out with a new movie. Is that right?
That's correct. We uh our team at ClearView just produced uh a film Kind of documenting my story, but really about what makes America special. Why do we love this nation? And so it is. It is quite Wonderful, and last Sunday night we had our premiere here at church, and it was packed.
And uh we were we were very surprised. It was raining uh heavily, but I mean people kept coming and we had a wonderful time.
Well, uh Stu Epperson, the owner of the Truth Network, was telling me that somebody named Bill Federer Uh was actually in your movie, is that right? That's correct. Yes, the the famed Bill Federer. What a wonderful man of God and historian. I mean, every time I talk to him, I walk away just amazed at just the depth of his knowledge and how he can I can I can bring up any topic to him and he will go right on with names, numbers, dates, exactly how things happen.
I mean, he and he loves this country and he loves the Lord Jesus Christ more. Yeah, and so we were talking about why we're grateful to be an American. Let me ask you, Dr. Shaw: why are you grateful to be an American? I grew up in India.
My first 17 years were spent in India. I grew up in a Christian home, a pastor's home. My dad is a first-generation Muslim convert. God called him, saved him, and his family disowned him. I mean, they threatened to take his life.
He grew up in an educated home. had a bright future ahead of him. But when he realized that he was lost and that Jesus Christ gave his life for him and he followed Christ. And his family, of course, disowned him. But then God called him in the ministry.
And he, so he, you know, I saw dad as dad, but I later on began to learn about his testimony of how. He suffered for the faith. He wanted me to study the Bible, and hence I came to America. He said, I want you to go for just two years, and then from there, I want you to. Pursue whatever God is calling you to do.
Having grown up in India and seeing the Indian culture and the foundation of that nation and then coming to America, very quickly you see the difference. This nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian values. There is no doubt. And when people don't understand that, I mean, I tell them, I say, you have to travel, as the other pastor said, you have to travel the world and you'll see. It's very different.
what people value, how they treat each other. It's so different and Of course, being in America doesn't mean that everybody is a Christian. Of course not. but it is founded upon Christian principles. uh the the our universal freedoms.
are based are coming from the Bible. The wonderful opportunities we have in this nation. Our Declaration of Independence talks about that. That's coming from scripture, our foundational values. It's coming from scriptures, and that's what makes America so special.
And I'm grateful. This was not my nation of birth. But I thank God for His providence to allow me to live in this nation and call this. my country. And I'm really blessed.
That's awesome. Pastor Dana, did you have a question for Dr. Shaw? doctor Saw, first of all, thank you for your testimony and that of your father. And what are the things that you're seeing as far as persecution of people From whatever nation it might be, India, Pakistan, are you seeing any of those folks that have come here?
We still have persecution from their families back in India or back in Pakistan. Oh, yes, it's there. I mean, it was there. We saw that growing up. That the moment.
somebody left Islam or Hinduism and became a Christian, the church had to become their family. We had to kind of step in and be there for them.
Now, when people come to America, whether they're coming for college or they're coming to work, and they... come to know Christ as their Savior. There is Immediately, there's a cutoff from the family. I mean, at first, the parents are disappointed in them, and then it's they're not invited, and then slowly there's a distancing, and it's very sad. And, you know, when Jesus said, If you want to be my disciple, Pick up your cross, deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me.
I mean, it's very real for some of these people. Very real.
Well, and let me ask you this. You've been here for a while. Have you seen kind of a change in America, either for the worse or for the better? I've been here since 1991 and and It's sad to say that things have drifted away from God. I've seen, you know, the pastor just mentioned about the Democrat the the the the communist socialism that has come into America.
It is so real. It is so real. And it's it's um It's sad to watch because I grew up in a socialist country. And we know what it looks like.
So people here have a very flowery view of socialism. Oh, everybody's going to get the health care. Oh, everybody's going to have benefit. And it's just the opposite. You have bribery, you have crimes, you have unemployment, you have people taking their lives because they cannot survive.
And so, for us in America to think, man, that's what we want. No, you're getting a story, you're getting a version of what people want you to believe, but a reality. is horrible. We have to do a better job talking to our younger generation and educate them. Of course, educate them in the Word of God, but educate them also in.
in in these kind of things that don't listen to everything your professor is telling you. Don't listen to ev everything that some social media influencer on TikTok is trying to tell you, look, look guys, how wonderful. No, no, that's not true at all. Yeah, and when I think about this, one of the things that I thought about was that in some countries, and I've heard even India, but I know especially Iran and many of the Muslim countries out there, in the United States, we are freely able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are lost, with others. In other countries, it's not like that, is it, Dr.
Shah? Oh, absolutely not.
Now, I grew up, I was born in 1973, and I saw. Y you could see the handwriting on the wall. Things were changing even then.
Now the Bible Society has been told you cannot print any more Bibles. You say, oh, but we need the Bibles. And their question to you then is: well, for whom do you want to print Bibles? Oh, wait a minute. Are you telling me that you're making more Christians?
Oh, that's illegal. Cannot build new churches. If you get any kind of missionary fund, I mean, immediately you are put on the government's hit list. Pastors are beat up in certain parts of the country. I mean, persecution is very real and it's growing.
And so in America I felt I feel like A few years ago, it felt like it was coming here. It was dangerously. Coming here, and I believe it has slowed down, and God's hand is still upon our nation. And You know, I I'll say this, and and some people may agree with me or not.
Sometimes people think that persecution purifies the church. And there is some truth in it. But it also has a huge error because sometimes persecution can stamp out the church. in that region, in that locale. Yeah, and one of the quotes that I'm looking at is by Winston Churchill, and he famously said this: He said, It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all other forms that have been tried from time to time.
866-34 Truth, 866-348-7884. Dr. Shaw, we'll be right back after this break, and we hope you stay with us. We've got two more segments, so we'd love to have you guys back on. This is Michael Zwick, Pastor Dana Coverstone, and Amory.
We'll be right back. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. All right, guys, we are back on the line. We've got Pastor Dana Coverstone. We've also got Dr.
Shaw. And Dr. Shaw, I know you've got a lot of stuff going on, but tell us again about this movie because this is something that I'm interested in seeing. And my goodness, how do I even find out? How do I see the movie, Dr.
Shaw? Oh, thank you so much. Yes, this has been a tremendous project. It it began with us just coming together and praying about what can we do that would Help our next generation appreciate America as much as we do. And so it began by telling my story of coming to America and seeing it firsthand of how different it was from how I grew up.
And then, what are those values that stood out to me? And why is it this worth appreciating? And John, our director, is here and he can maybe tell you a little bit more about how to get to it because right now we're releasing it. Yes, absolutely.
Well, thank you, Dr. Shah, and thank you, Michael, and to Stu and Truth Talk for hosting us. The way that you're going to be able to access the movie is very simple. It's on Abadanshah.com. It's going to be going live tomorrow afternoon, which so that'll be Friday, July the 3rd.
And all through the month of July, we are giving a sale basically where in exchange for just one email address, you'll sign up to our email list and then you get the entire movie for free. You can watch it right there on the website. And after the month of July, so starting in August, it'll become a membership exclusive on YouTube and then on Abadanshah.com. But we wanted to celebrate July the 4th and we wanted to celebrate our 250th year.
So it'll be free this entire month.
Well, and I want to know, I want to watch. You said I can watch it tomorrow if I go to the website. All I have to do is. Have to do is to put in my email address. I'm going to put in the website.
How do you spell that?
So that's uh that's Abaddon A-B-I-D-A-N-S-H-A-H, Abaddon Shah.com.
Well, I tell you what, man, I love to, I'm looking forward. There's a new movie coming out about Young Washington. My kids want to go see that, but I've got to pay for this, but I've got to pay for that. I'm going to the website tomorrow, and I'm going to, or today, I'm at the website now, but tomorrow I'm going to watch this movie for free. And once again, it's Abadon Shaw, S-H-A-H.com.
Is that right? That's correct. Okay.
Hey, this is Ryan. I'm part of the team as well. And I wanted to let you know that once we hit August, John talked about it being a membership exclusive. That exclusive membership is just a $5 membership fee. And that'll get you access to not only the documentary, but other exclusive content that Dr.
Shah and our church are going to be producing as well. That's right. Much cheaper than most of the movies that you're going to go and find out there.
Now, I'm sure this Young Washington movie is very, very good. Don't get me wrong. We wanted it to be, we wanted this to be more than anything else. We wanted it to be accessible for people who love this nation.
Well, we certainly love this nation at the Truth Network. And speaking of loving this nation. We've got the owner of the Truth Network. We've got Stu Epperson who wants to say a word to you guys as well. Are you there, Stu?
You know, I am here and I just you know, if if You know, some some you know, uh Er Eric Metaxas wrote a book. About you know, about be careful, you know, lest we lose it, you know. I think it was a quote from Thomas Jefferson. Dr. Shaw, you'd be more familiar with that.
It's just a a statement of We have we are so blessed. We have so much privilege. We can share the gospel freely. And I love that you men are doing that. I love that this.
This documentary doesn't just celebrate America's 250 years, Dr. Shaw, but it also. It also points people to the true freedom. that we have in Christ. And doctor Shaw, can you think of a worse tragedy than a free American An American who's in the land of the free because of the brave, Who celebrates that freedom, who can go as they please and make the money they want to make and have all these liberties.
But to die without Jesus Christ in their life. Was that not the greatest tragedy to die in an eternal bondage of sin and hell? And so that's a negative way of saying, hey, we need to put our hope in the Lord where true freedom comes from. Dr. Shaw, your thoughts on that?
Am I off on that? Oh, not at all. You know, my wife and I were in Belgium for a text critical conference, and then from there we decided to stop in London for a day and then spend some time in Ireland. Wonderful countries, beautiful landscapes, sweet, nice people. But when you think about the lostness that we experienced, the the lostness in the minds and the hearts of some very nice, sophisticated people, it was so heartbreaking.
And the last thing we want in America is to have all these freedoms and be lost. Because ultimately it's not just, oh man, I love America. Ultimately is it's about Jesus Christ died for my sins. He is the only way, truth, and life. He is the way to the Father.
Without Him, we have nothing. We have emptiness. And all our accomplishments and all our freedoms and all our wonderful opportunities that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, they mean nothing at the end of life. If you're still lost. And so, as we're celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, and we're so grateful to you, Stu.
You've been such a blessing to us, and John, and Ryan, and David, and all of us here at Clearview, we really thank God for you, and we pray for you and your whole team. Our goal is ultimately to lead people to Christ. to make Christ visible so that they will come to know him and be saved. Gotcha. That's amazing.
And speaking of which, people coming to know Christ and people getting saved, you're going to want to respond to this. We've got a Spiros out of Kerry, North Carolina. Are you there, Spiros? Are you there? I am.
Well, I might. Yeah, I can. And I wanted you to share something because you're kind of similar to Dr. Shaw. You grew up in another country and then you came here.
Is that right? That's correct. That's correct, Michael. Um is I'm very blessed to be an American. I want to say that up front.
And I'm very grateful That um My parents, uh Being fit. to eventually end up here. living in America. And briefly, I was born in Brazil. To a Catholic mother and a Greek Orthodox father.
And then that led My parents to move back to Greece. you know, for economic reasons And that didn't work out because my dad came back to Greece with a wife and two boys.
Okay.
He went through the legal application process and apply for citizenship, and that took a year. And my parents immigrated to America in 1962.
So I've been blessed to live here in this great country since then. Since 1962, but you were also a Marine, is that right? Or you are a Marine. Is that right, Spiros? Actually close.
I was a submariner.
Okay.
Okay.
That's a joke I have with my fellow Marine Corps brethren, brothers. And the United Go ahead. No, and so and kind of like they were saying before, you're not a fan of socialism either. Is that right? Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. I served in the United States Nuclear Submarine Force In the Cold War era when the Soviet Union was at its height, And our role in the submarine navy or in the armed forces. was to keep an eye on them and And we know what happened in, I believe, 1987 when my commander-in-chief, President Ronald Reagan. told mister Gorbachev, tear down that wall. But I served during that time and was very aware what was happening and trying to keep our country safe.
from Socialism and Communism.
Well, that's right. And so it seems like nobody on the phone call today likes socialism or communism, especially the people who have moved here from another country. Is that right, Dr. Shaw? I would 100% agree.
I've taught in schools and colleges and universities. And young young minds, you know, they feel like they're the revolutionary. They're the ones who are going to take care of all the underprivileged people and all the people who don't have a chance at success and the billionaires are ruling the world. And I asked them the question: Have you traveled across the world? No, no, I haven't, but I've seen the videos, and I tell them, I promise you.
Uh many of you would not last a week. a month. And I'm not talking about just going to tour. but living there under the conditions That that are just horrible. And and so, yes, I would Tell our leaders, our pastors, our teachers: please talk to your students.
Teach them about the word of God, but also teach them about these issues because they matter. And then, once, thank you very much. And then, once again, if people want to watch your movie, they go to your website. And what is it again, Dr. Shaw?
The website is Abidhansha.com, A-B-I-D-A-N-S-H-A-H.com. And you will see a tab for the movie. And tomorrow, which is July the 3rd, it will be available for free. And you can watch the whole month and And there are interviews with Bill Federer, Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, who is the head of the faith coalition appointed by President Trump. And then also, Mike Huckabee, the ambassador to Israel, we have interviews with him as well, talking about.
Why is this nation so special? Why do we believe that God has blessed us greatly with America?
So it's. Quite interesting and uh engaging. Amen, brother. And I want to thank you guys for coming on the phone. You know, when you guys are talking, I realize that, yes, we've got to do what we're doing right now.
We've got to share the truth on the radio waves. I know Pastor Dana shares the truth on YouTube and Facebook and other ways as well, as well from his church. But I realize also that the difference that we have between those who are not Christians, and I'm sure Amory knows this as well, is that we're not fighting just in the flesh. As a matter of fact, in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10, it says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And so, yes, we've got to do everything that. We can do in the natural, but Pastor Dana, we also must pray. Is that right? Absolutely, MM.
That's churches. On Saturday, July the fourth, we're going to be praying. Our church will be joining many, many thousands of other Assemblies of God churches between sometime for an hour on Saturday, just to remind people to pray for the nation. And I will be hosting another six-hour prayer event on August 1st, and much of that time will be spent praying for our nation because it's so important. And I want to thank you, Michael, for having me on today.
And thanks to all that are there. Wonderful to have you folks out there sharing the gospel and making a difference. I look forward to seeing that movie myself. I'm going to have to head out, but thank you for having me on. And thank you for this program, encouraging people to share how much you love America.
Because, boy, I love it. I want to thank you for having me here. Yeah, I want to thank you too, brother. And we will have you. I'm going to check you out on YouTube and on Facebook.
But, Emery, you're here as well. And you were talking about how you live by faith. Is that right? Well, and we're about to go to the break, so we'll be right back after this break, 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. This is Michael Zwick.
We'll be back with our last segment, Truth Talk Live. We'll be right back after this break. Truth told. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. All right guys, we are back and we've got Amory Chesterton, who is literally the first cousin of GK Chesterton.
But you're living by faith, is that right? Live by faith, not by sight. How be it that the word of the Lord is more fine than gold and more so to be desired than honey. And I just learned recently that the breastplate of righteousness that the Lord gives us through His Word didn't only cover the front, but also extended to the back. And it is written that the Lord has gone before us in the days, and He will take charge supernaturally and protection, not to give us more than we could bear.
He's got our backs covered, He's got our fronts covered. The gig is given to they who show up. Let us show up and honor the Lord because he's already there. Let us show up and honor the Lord. There you go, brother.
Thank you for coming in. Thank you, Stu, for bringing him in. We've got Deborah on the line as well. Deborah, why are you grateful to be an American? Oh, I n Mike, I I have enjoyed this and everyone that has called in today.
Thank you, thank you. Um What are the things It's the history of our country. Knowing that Our, you know, the founding fathers that they had a vision for this country. They wanted freedom to worship. And I want to share I come from a family that has a lot of military.
My uncle, Charles, also served on a submarine. He joined the service at the age of 17. And he dedicated his life To the military service until he passed away in nineteen sixty. resulting from tuberculosis. and he was quarantined until he died.
Yeah. And that was because of serving at that time on the sub is my understanding. But I was blessed to get a letter and I've been trying to get My hands on a copy of it while I was listening, but I haven't found it. But I've read this letter. Several times at things, and I want to share that.
And this was from a distant relative who was encamped. on a riverbank probably during the American Civil War. And he was writing to his mother about her not having to send um socks because evidently he had requested them that someone had uh provided socks for their unit. And he was talking about some of the aspects of his service up to that time. And he was so excited He wanted to share with his mother and his family and to make sure that other family members were told.
that one night there before he wrote that letter, He was lying there in the tent Waiting, and he may not have even had a tent. I'm not sure, but probably so. And he could not sleep, and he found the Lord that night. Praise God.
Well, I tell you what, and it's good that we find the Lord because you know what the thing is, Deborah, is that all of us have to realize that the Lord goes before us. You see, Deborah, if I thought that it was up to me, if it's going to be, it's up to me. I've got to make all of this happen for the Lord. I've got to get on the radio. I've got to do everything in my own strength, then I probably would lose it and I probably wouldn't even do that well at all.
I don't even know if Dr. Shaw is still there or not. Are you still there, Dr. Shaw? Yes, sir.
I'm still here. Yes, sir. But how would you respond? I mean, honestly, I mean, it's simply by the grace of God. I mean, daily we recognize that life is a gift from God.
Our salvation is God's gift to us. Living in America, I mean, that's God's providential gift for us. You know, what do we work for? We work out of obedience, not out of earning anything. We cannot earn our salvation.
We cannot earn the right to live here. It's simply by a heart of gratefulness. Gratefulness for what he's done for us. And then serving and being obedient out of that mindset. Yeah, and Dr.
Shaw, we've seen what happened in New York with Mom Donnie. We've seen what's happened with the AOCs, and we see what the Democratic Party is doing in this country. And I'm reminded of a story that I heard many years ago. It was about Napoleon Bonaparte. And in this battle that he was in, his soldiers were losing the battle.
And so finally, Napoleon sent word to the bugler. He said, you need to blow the bugle for retreat. He didn't hear anything. Five minutes later, he sent word again to his bugler. He said, to blow the bugle for retreat.
And the third time he said, okay, this guy hasn't said anything. He hasn't blown the bugle. I'm going to go down there myself and I'm going to tell him to blow the bugle for retreat.
So he goes to the bugler and he said, son, he said, I've told you two or three times now to blow the bugle to retreat. And he says, you've never blown the bugle. And the young bugler said to Napoleon, he said, Napoleon, he said, you never taught us how to blow the bugle to retreat. And Napoleon said, I didn't. And he said, no.
He said, then blow the bugle to charge. And they charged that day and they won the battle. I'm here to tell you: if you're in America, Dr. Shaw, Jesus taught us a lot of things. Yes, we're going to have some tough times.
Yes, we're going to face persecution. No, it's not easy. But at the same time, Jesus never taught us to retreat. Is that right? Amen.
We don't fight to victory. We fight from victory. He has already won the victory for us. He has given us all the riches in Christ Jesus.
So we fight from victory. It's not a retreat for us. And even in our nation, once we understand the foundation of our nation, knowing that this nation was built upon those biblical values. We're not trying to fight the enemy. We're simply going against the darkness that is upon us.
We're dealing with people's hearts that need to be brought into light. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So it's not us versus them as much as, listen, this is a fight between the light and the darkness. This is the fight between the gospel of Jesus Christ and lost humanity. What's happening in New York City? It is so sad. And that's, you know, we have to take our job seriously to be the salt and the light of the world.
Yeah, and everybody's been talking about revival, Dr. Shaw, revival, revival, revival. But I hear other people saying, no, it's just going to get worse and worse. And we know eventually before the Lord comes back, it is going to get a lot worse. But there is nothing in my Bible that says in 2026 in America, everything has to go to hell in a handbasket.
We can still do something for this country that we love. Is that right? Absolutely. I believe the greatest awakening in America, in the world, is right around the corner. And I agree with you wholeheartedly.
In the end, in the end, it will go downhill. And Christ is going to come and he's going to set all things straight. But until that moment, We are to work as if the greatest awakening is about to happen. And I believe it is. I mean, just looking at the recent decisions coming out of the Supreme Court, I mean, who would have imagined that we would take it turn backwards towards just simple things like, you know, boys should be in boy sports, girls should be in girls' sports.
I mean, we thought we were on this headlong. Dash over the cliff in this moral cesspool, but all of a sudden. There is hope. I see hope that that how in the world did did the Supreme Court come around and make this decision. Which means God is still working in America.
There is still a strong remnant that God is listening to, and the prayers of God's people are working.
So we fight from victory. We fight from victory. And one of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 110. And the Lord says to my Lord, He says that He will give us the victory until, what does He say? Until He puts our enemies underneath our feet.
And so, when I go out there and I know that, like you said, we are victorious before I even go out there, then I'm able to see the things that I see when I share the gospel. Then I'm able to see the things that I see when I hand out Bibles or pray for people. And I love your attitude towards that. Also, want to ask you again before we get off, I wanted to make sure that people are able to see your movie. And I think they can subscribe to your channel.
It's only $5 a month. Is that right? Well, right now it's free. I'm going to let Ryan explain. Ryan is here with us.
He's one of our staff here, very important person for this movie. Ryan, would you give the details on this? Absolutely. So, like Dr. Shaw said, during the month of July, it is our gift to you, totally free.
All we're going to ask for is an email. Email address so we can keep you up to date with all future projects coming out of Clearview Church and coming from Dr. Shaw. So you just put, go to Abadanshaw.com. That's A-B-I-D-A-N-S-H-A-H.com.
And put in your email address, you'll be able to access that movie titled Our Favorite Undertakings: The Story of Dr. Shaw's Journey to America and How He Fell in Love with Our Nation. And then once we go into August, it is going to be a $5 subscription to access that content and additional content that's going to be coming out of our church as well. Yeah, and you said your church. I'm sitting right here in the studio in Winston-Salem.
Dr. Shaw, can you tell us about your church a little bit? Oh, absolutely. Clearview Church. I have been pastoring here coming up 30 years.
My wife and I came here in 1998, and God has blessed us greatly. It hasn't been like a rocket ship, ups and downs over the years. We had 20 people, and now today, God is just blessing us tremendously. Truth Network is a big part of how God has blessed us in taking. The message of the gospel, the teaching, the Bible teaching out of the four walls of our church.
Into the community.
Well, guys, thank you guys so much for coming on. My name is Michael Zwick. My show will be on this Saturday at 12 o'clock noon, if not for God with Mike Zwick. And make sure to check out this movie. You can go to Abaddonshaw.com and I'm excited to see the movie.
So thank you guys for coming on today. Thank you so much for you. You're very welcome. Have a great weekend. Happy 4th.
Yeah.
