August 8, 2025 • 46 mins
We're going to have a conversation about your neighbor. The other day Chris needed a favor from his neighbor, but he didn't want to ask because it was an unusual request. He didn't want to bother him. Do you identify with that? What's the most unusual request you have ever asked of your neighbor? Or, what has your neighbor asked of you? To borrow a tool? A ride to an appointment? Corral a horse? Help us get to know you and your neighbor on Chris Fabry Live.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:05):
Hey, neighbor. I need some help today at the radio
backyard fence. Just you and me. I want to talk
about something I've experienced and see if you're on the
same page with me. See if you resonate with the
problem I have. And that is, it is hard for
me to ask for help. It's hard for me to
ask a neighbor for help. Why do you think that is?
I'm all over helping others, asking for help. Now that
(00:28):
is a different thing. It's a struggle. So that's my
first question. The second question is when did you ask
for help from a neighbor? And if you can think
of an unusual request you made or an unusual request
your neighbor made of you? I got over my problem
the other day, and I want to tell you about
it straight ahead on Moody Radio. Welcome to my neighborhood
(00:48):
and my friends. Ryan McConaughey is doing all things technical.
Trish is our producer. Lisa is in the chair. Today.
Ananda will be answering your calls. And since it's Friday.
That's right, friend, it's time for the fabulous favorite Friday.
Sigh what does it do? One we oxygenate your blood.
Two we get your endorphins going. Three we raise your
serotonin level. Four we promote lymphatic drainage. In five we
(01:11):
stimulate your parasympathetic system. That's why we call it the
five love languages. We also stimulate your vagus nerve. We
help you release acetylcholine. And don't you dare forget what
it does to cortisol dissipation. Take in four seconds of
air through your nose right now. Hold it four seconds,
and then as you release that air through your mouth,
push on the left side of your rib cage to
(01:31):
get rid of all that bad carbon dioxide. Give a
side today for the unusual request for help you need
from your neighbor. Could be a cup of sugar. Jump
for a dead battery or keep an eye out for
the missing dog. But what about a missing hamster? What
about hanging Christmas lights at the top of the roof
where you're afraid to climb? Have you ever been in
a situation where you needed something and you thought, I'll
(01:53):
ask my neighbor and you held back for some reason? No,
I don't want to bother him or her. That's too
weird a request. Have you ever asked to borrow a
truck from your neighbor because you need to take your
goat to the vet? I'm asking for a friend. Call
me now. I want to hear your neighborly conundrum at (877) 548-3675. Yes,
(02:16):
Chris Fabry live is programmed from the heart to the
heart for the heart. And we are committed every weekday
to bring you heartfelt conversations about the fleeting life we're
trying to live fully. And today we come to a
rather innocuous topic I think has a deeper meaning than
these surface questions. And we're going to go as deeply
into this as we can of neighbor favors. When you
(02:36):
needed help but held back from asking your neighbor, why'd
you do that? What was your unusual request of your neighbor?
I want to hear from you right now.
S2 (02:45):
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day
for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
It's a neighborly day in this beautywood a neighborly day
for a beauty. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
(03:09):
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So let's make the most of this beautiful day.
S1 (03:18):
Beautiful, isn't.
S2 (03:19):
It? Since we're together, we might as well say.
S1 (03:22):
Go ahead and say it.
S2 (03:23):
Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you
be my neighbor? Won't you please. Won't you please, please.
Won't you be my neighbor?
S1 (03:37):
Jimmy Costa Friday, Cy.
S2 (03:39):
Neighbors are people who are close to us, and friends
are people who are close to our hearts. I like
to think of you as my neighbor and my friend.
S1 (03:50):
Thank you Fred. That gets us started here today. The
back fence. Howdy, friend. Howdy, neighbor. It's just you and me.
Today I have a story for you. I have some questions.
I've already applied you with these. Let me give you
our phone number. (877) 548-3675. The story you tell, the help
you needed might be just what somebody else needs to hear.
(04:11):
And in this setting, I don't have a problem asking
your help or giving the phone number. (877) 548-3675. What comes
to your mind when I bring up this topic of
asking help from a neighbor? Have you done that recently?
Have you struggled to do that recently? Do you have
the same problem? I have you shrink back from asking
(04:33):
for help. Why do you do that? Why do I
do that? Some people, uh, it's like they're asking help
every day, all day. And I see a lot of
people responding to that. You know, the negative. I can't
get my neighbor to leave me alone. This is the
other side of that. And I had this happen the
other day. And I'm going to tell you this story,
and then I want to hear from you and answer
(04:54):
that question. So to answer the question, what's wrong with me?
Why can't I ask for help? Number one and number two,
have you asked your neighbor for help in some unusual
task that you or something that you needed that was
a little unusual, a little off the beaten path? Or
has your neighbor done the same to you? And here
(05:15):
is my story. My trash and recycle is picked up
on Thursday. Thursdays are high Holy days for me. I
look forward to Thursdays and getting the bins to the
street the night before. There is nothing better than empty
trash containers and nothing more frustrating. Well, last week we
talked about the little foxes. Uh, it's vexing when the
(05:37):
trash truck misses you or has equipment problems and they
have to delay their route for a day or two.
So I think trash removal might be the sixth love language,
though Gary would no doubt say that's acts of service.
So it was a Monday and my bins were full
because someone in the house where I am right now
(05:59):
had two big boxes that had large pieces of styrofoam
in them. Not the little the little peanut styrofoam things,
great big pieces, but even the big pieces I like
to break down and put in bags. Because if the
if the wind is blowing when the trash truck comes,
those things can fly away. And you don't want to
(06:19):
see those in the in the desert or in nature.
So I always make sure that I, I'm a good neighbor.
I always make sure that I put those in bags
and don't let them fly around the neighborhood, because that
is the worst. So I get the trash situated and
it becomes apparent it's probably on the weekend, you know,
and there's not enough room in the bin. And, uh,
(06:42):
we were over. We have to make it from Saturday
to Thursday. And then again, an idea. Great idea, a
wonderful idea. The neighbors on either side of me have
a different trash service that comes on Tuesday, and both
of them have a lot less people living in their
houses than I do. And I never see their trash
(07:06):
cans with the tops, you know, kind of flying up
because it's so full. So I think, what if I
can offload some styrofoam on Tuesday? If I can do that,
then I'll make it to Thursday. So Monday comes and
I'm debating with myself, do I really want to call
and ask for room? That is a weird thing to ask.
(07:30):
Hey neighbor, can I borrow your trash can? And I think, well,
it'd be easier just to text, but then how do
you explain that? How do you text and explain that
you got any room in trash can? I've got some styrofoam.
And it's not the little stuff. It's the big stuff.
And I have it in. It's like, no, it just
felt weird. And I don't want to bother them either.
One on either side. I just leave it alone. I'll
(07:52):
just get by. And Tuesday comes and I'm looking at
the bins and I'm staring at the styrofoam. And there's
no way we're going to make it to Thursday and
two on Tuesday. The truck hasn't come. Their truck doesn't
come till like in the afternoon, and I'm pacing in
the driveway. I'm going back and forth. Do I go
(08:13):
ahead and call? Do I text? I don't really need this.
I don't want to bother them. Just let it go.
Don't be that neighbor, you know. And that's what's going
on in my head. Why do you think I thought that?
Why do you think I was having this wrestling match
about the trash can and just asking? Because I feel
(08:35):
like we have a good relationship. I identify with having
a good relationship with my neighbors. We like each other,
I see him, we'll wave at each other. Um, if
one of the neighbors said to me, hey, any chance
I could put a trash bag in your trash can
I see the the top is going down on yours.
I have no problem with it. Yeah. Come on over.
Let's see. You know, we could both stand on it.
(08:57):
Why did I have a problem asking for that favor? (877) 548-3675.
And then I want you to tell me the request
that you made of your neighbor. And it doesn't have
to be trash related. And I hope it's not. It
is something else that you asked or that your neighbor
(09:18):
asked of you. What was the most unusual call for
help you made or received? (877) 548-3675 is our number. Your
story might be used to go deeper today. Let's talk
about it. Neighbor, come on over to the back fence
and let's see if we can do a little bit
(09:40):
of life together. You can answer on Facebook, but I'd
love to hear your voice. Seven five more straight ahead
on Moody Radio.
S3 (09:59):
I think this is the perfect Friday.
S1 (10:01):
Conversation because it will take us. It's a surface question.
You know, anytime you talk about, uh, something your neighbor
asked of you or that you asked of your neighbor,
it's kind of a a surface thing. And yet I
think there's something deep going on, especially with my conundrum
of not wanting to ask for help. Why is that?
You got one line open now. I love this, I
(10:23):
love it when people respond to this. And we've had
kind of some heavy programs this week. And for those
of you who responded to what we did last couple
of days with Moody Aviation, if you don't know what
I'm talking about, don't worry about it. Uh, but if
you responded to that. Oh, boy howdy. Thank you. You're what,
a neighbor. What a neighbor you are. Thanks for your support. And, uh,
(10:43):
let's see what good things we can do today. Lynette
is up first. Lynette. Why did you call it today?
S4 (10:50):
I called because I had moved out of my neighborhood,
and after about five years, I moved back in. So
a lot of the neighbors had changed. And I didn't
know them anymore. But my neighbor across the street, um,
was young and strong, and I needed to move two
couches into my house, and I knew I couldn't do
(11:10):
it myself. And so I approached him and asked him
if he would help me, and he said, sure, I
can help you. When do you want to do it?
And the very next morning at 8:00, he and his son, Eli, um,
got in their cars, met me at the house, put
the two huge couches in the trailer, came back to
my house, put him in the house, and took my
(11:31):
old couch out to the road. I was mind boggled
at how willing they were to serve me. And then
they wouldn't take any money.
S1 (11:40):
Yes.
S4 (11:41):
And it has transformed my relationship with them. Because now
every time we see each other, we wave. When when
Daniel Lopez's daughter comes across the street to get the mail,
she comes into the yard and visits with me, and
it just changed everything.
S1 (11:58):
And it was because you had a need and you
couldn't do it on your own. There's no way you
could have lifted that on your own, right?
S4 (12:06):
I could not, yeah, I could not. You can try
real hard. If I can do something on my own,
I do it. But some things I can't do well.
S1 (12:14):
And you could hire it to, you know, you could
have gotten a moving that gets really expensive. If you
have a friend who's willing to do it and then
that they would, it does not surprise me that they
would say, we're not taking anything for that. There wasn't
anything to do. We're helping you out. You know, that's
that's a neighbor, right?
S4 (12:32):
And the beautiful thing is, they really didn't know me.
You know what I mean? We've we've crossed each other's paths,
you know, at the mailbox or something. But it's not
like a neighbor that I've had for, you know, 5
or 10 years that I really knew, but they were
willing to do that for me, even though I was
a little bit of a stranger, just because I asked.
S1 (12:52):
I'm glad that you did, Lynette. And that story is
I've heard this on a spiritual level that many times
Christians think, you know, I need to reach my neighbor
who's not a Christian. And the best way to do
that is to, you know, fill in all the needs
and meet all the needs. And sometimes your need is
(13:13):
an entree for a relationship where they see that they
can give something to you and it opens them up
just to friendship, first of all. And then you start
to have this relationship and you get to share some
of the deeper things. Lynette, thanks for your call today. Uh,
Linda is in Decatur, Illinois. Linda, tell me why you called.
S4 (13:35):
Well, my husband had had a stroke.
S5 (13:37):
And he was bedridden, and I had to keep in
contact with the doctor all the time. If there was
an emergency, I had to immediately call. Well, um, our
power went out at our house and my phone was dead.
So I talked to the neighbors and asked if they
would charge my cell phone for me. And so I
could have it to reach the doctor. So. So they
(13:59):
did that, and I thought that was kind of unusual.
Who has has to have a neighbor charge their cell
phone for them?
S1 (14:06):
Did they let you bring it inside and charge it,
or did you charge it outside.
S5 (14:10):
No. They took it so I didn't have to leave
my house. I saw them outside. They took my phone.
They took it to their home, charge it and brought
it back for me.
S1 (14:19):
All right. There it is. And you didn't have a
problem asking that. It was like, I need this. I
have no power. Hey, can you help me out? Right.
S5 (14:28):
Well, no, I it was hard to ask, and I
started to panic when there was no power because I
had I had to be able to reach the doctor.
That was just, you know. And so then I'm thinking,
what am I going to do? Oh, Lord, help me.
What am I going to do? I was praying, Lord,
I've got to have my cell phone. So, you know,
going back and forth like that. And finally it's like, okay,
(14:50):
ask so and so so and they, they were out.
So God just worked it out for me. But it
wasn't it wasn't easy because I'm the caregiver, you know,
and I'm the one that helps people. So it's hard
to ask when you're the one that's usually doing the helping.
S1 (15:07):
Okay. There it is. That's one reason why, as the caregiver,
you have to have everything together and you have to
have the plan. And when something goes wrong with the
plan and you don't know then and you have to
have help, it's almost like you feel, I can't be
weak here. I've got to be strong. Um, and is
(15:29):
that kind of why you found it hard to ask
for help?
S5 (15:33):
Yes. Yes, because I was the one that was there helping,
moving him around and making sure he basically stayed alive.
And now what am I going to do? I need help, but.
But how do how do I how do I get help?
What do I do?
S1 (15:50):
Okay, well, both were true. As I listen to your story,
both were true there that you you needed help, but
you were also the caregiver. So you were able to
do what? You know, your job was with your husband
as well as say, I'm in need here. Both of
those things were true at the same time. Thank you.
(16:11):
That's that gives us a peek. I mean, that's a
pretty serious charge of a of a battery that we're
talking about there. Gail's in Indiana. Gail, tell me your story.
S6 (16:22):
Yes. Um, it was prom night, and we had a
plumber come in the morning to do some repairs, and
it got to be later in the day. And he
wasn't finished with the plumbing. And my son was panicking
because he needed a shower and our closest neighbors were
out of town, so I had to go to a
(16:44):
neighbor I didn't really know and ask them if I
could use their shower, if my son could use her shower.
And then on top of that, they had a daughter
that was going to the prom. So my son was
so humiliated. But we all laugh about it now.
S1 (17:02):
Yes it was. But at the time, at the time,
it's a big deal because he's got to look nice.
He's got to get his hair washed and everything. And then,
you know, it probably was harder for him to go
to a stranger's house to take us, you know, and
all that, right?
S6 (17:19):
His towel across the street.
S1 (17:24):
That is a good story. That's a good story. Knock
knock knock. Hey, can we use your shower? Yeah. And
how did they respond? What did they say? Yeah, come
on in.
S6 (17:34):
They were so gracious. Oh, they were so nice. Just.
Just amazing.
S1 (17:41):
See, now, there's another little thing. I heard it in
your voice when you said, oh, they were so gracious.
Because my guess is everybody's been through something like that.
When the plumber has stayed a little too long, the
water has stayed off a little too long. And you're like,
you identify with that. You can climb into those shoes
(18:03):
and think, oh, what are we going to do? Absolutely.
Come on in here. So in order to receive the grace, though,
you've got to take you've got to walk across the street,
don't you?
S6 (18:14):
I'd have gone down the whole street to find them
a shower.
S1 (18:19):
Oh, Gail. God bless you, Gail. Thank you for calling
in here today. Um, this is kind of a, in
a sense, a discretionary ask. Now, I think Linda's was
more of of an emergency. You know, if you've got
an appointment, you got car trouble. Jump my battery or
(18:39):
there's some kind of a medical thing. It's when I
was a kid, we had, um. And obviously we didn't
have cell phones back then. We had a party line,
and the people across the street who had moved in
had no phone. And so we got a knock on
the door one day. And, you know, we're new and
our son has a medical condition. He was a hemophiliac.
(19:03):
And so if he gets scrape on the knee at
school and starts to bleed, it's a it's a serious thing.
So the request was can we give the school your
phone number so that if something happens there, you can
let us know. And, uh, I, I was a kid.
My mother was absolutely. And as I recall it, there
(19:25):
was only one time when that ever happened. There was
ever an emergency there. So that that is like, you know,
you need you needed an open phone line lines somewhere.
But what I'm seeing is, you know, styrofoam is not
that big a deal. Um, a couch, you know, you
you can wait on the couch. But but when Lynette
(19:45):
went ahead and did this, do you see when you
when you are the one in need, what happens to you? Uh,
Felicia is in Tampa, Florida. Felicia, tell me why you
called today.
S7 (19:57):
Hello. Thanks for taking my call. God bless you all.
I am calling because it resonates with me that probably
about 15, 20 years ago, I lived across the street.
Across the street from a couple with a young baby.
They didn't interact much, but the rest of us interacted
a lot. Our other neighbors and I was going through, um,
(20:18):
a medical issue as a cardiac patient where I had
to have two injections in my stomach per day of
blood thinner, and I refused to do it to myself.
And my daughter, who was 14, 1416 would do it.
She was out of pocket. My husband's Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic.
He was at work. I didn't want to drive across
(20:40):
town to him. And I'm panicking. I'm like, somebody's got
to give me this shot. I've got to have this medicine.
And I remembered that this young lady was a nurse,
and I literally showed up at her door. She answers
the door with this baby on her hip, and I'm like,
can you give me my shot?
S1 (20:59):
Did you know her at all? Was she or was
she a complete stranger?
S7 (21:04):
She was not a complete stranger, but she was the
one house of us that was not the most interactive.
She was very not as sociable as the other neighbors
I knew. Close with the neighbors on either side of
me and directly across the street, and like, there was
like six houses of us that were all just close,
(21:24):
but they were kind of standoffish.
S1 (21:28):
And what did that do then? When how did she
respond to you saying, can you give me the shot?
S7 (21:35):
He responded wonderfully, and at that point I really didn't care.
I just needed somebody to give me that shot. That
was big for me because I'm used to being the
leaning post, and I love springing into action to be
the aid of someone else. But if I can't accomplish
something within my own power or within my own four walls,
it's very difficult for me to admit I am in
(22:00):
need of help.
S1 (22:02):
Why?
S7 (22:02):
That was huge for me.
S1 (22:04):
Do you know why that is?
S7 (22:06):
I'm used to being the on the giving end, not
the receiving end of it. I love being a helper.
S1 (22:14):
Yes. And so. And, um, not to not to play
psychologist here on the radio, but your your identity is
wrapped up in what I do for others. I'm competent.
I'm capable. I am able to fill needs, and I
do that. And when I feel the need, it's like
(22:34):
I just get uncomfortable with it. Is that it?
S7 (22:37):
Yeah. And at the time, my profession was a deputy.
S8 (22:41):
I was a deputy at the time.
S7 (22:43):
So always in an authoritative role, um, caregiver for my mom. Well,
at the time, my mom, when they divorced, I was 12,
and I became caregiver to my baby brother, who, um,
I just I just was always in that role. I
assumed roles that were not necessary to keep others from
(23:04):
doing it.
S1 (23:05):
And they can depend on you. You became dependable. So
that was part of it as well. We can lean
on Felicia. She's the leaning post. We can trust her.
We can. Yeah, yeah. And so you grow into that.
I think that's really. That's really good. Um, now, why
didn't you want to give yourself the shot? You could
do that. Probably for somebody else, don't you think?
S7 (23:29):
I don't want to.
S9 (23:30):
You don't?
S7 (23:31):
I have home health care to come to my home. Um,
when I first got this diagnosis with my heart to
show me how to do the injection, I literally put
it in and snatched it out and said, I'm never
doing this to myself again. Now I just didn't want to,
I couldn't. It was like I was self-harming.
S9 (23:51):
Yes.
S1 (23:52):
And so there was, there was this block there. So
now the question is, and everybody's wondering, how are you
doing now? How long ago was this? And how's your heart?
S7 (24:02):
Um, back then I had had two heart surgeries and
a stroke. I've now since had five heart surgeries, two
other mini strokes. Um, some additional surgeries. Um, I have also.
I'm scheduled Tuesday this coming Tuesday to have the current
loop recorder surgically removed. Then a second incision to implant
(24:27):
my pacemaker, and I have been in a dark moment
this morning in tears. And the Lord sent a young
lady who I'd been mentoring before, um, placed me on
her heart first thing this morning, and she called me
with something she needed help with. And then after I
helped her two hours to call later, I told her.
(24:48):
I said, I have to be candid with you, that
you were used by God today to kind of help
me shift my focus because I'm. I like to teach,
especially from Titus two to young women. And I needed
to I had to spring into action for her. So
it got my gaze off of me because I was like, Lord,
(25:09):
this is heart surgery number six. I'm exhausted. I'm tired.
I literally flatlined on the table during my second of
five heart surgeries and in 2007, and I'm tired. And
I was literally crying out to God when she messaged me,
can you talk right now?
S1 (25:26):
Okay, well, you've opened the door here for us, father. You.
I can hear the anxiety in Felicia, but also her
trust in you. Both of those are going together. So
as we learn about this situation, that's going to happen
next Tuesday, I just pray for real peace in her heart,
for wisdom, for those who are performing this surgery and
(25:46):
that you would work your. You are the Great Physician,
work your healing in her life or pray in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
S10 (26:05):
I love what Felicia was saying.
S1 (26:07):
And in the break she told me a little bit
more about the procedure on Tuesday. So be praying for her.
She's going to let us know afterward how things go.
But she said that she's been singing the the Waymaker song.
You know, he's my way maker miracle worker. But she
replaces Waymaker with pacemaker. I love that too. I love
(26:30):
that creativity and love that heart. And I told her,
I told Felicia in the break, I said, um, there
is somebody who's probably going through the same kind of
thing with anxiety, with this heaviness of some procedure or
some diagnosis that they're waiting for. And it's just, you know,
(26:53):
how am I going to get through this season of
waiting and looking? I said, your your voice is going
to help folks in there and kind of brought us
full circle from her need and the shot all the
way around to what she's doing. So I hope that
ministered to you and the and the whole idea of
our weakness. When we're weak, he can be strong. When
(27:17):
we realize we need help, he can fill in the
blanks there that we don't know, even know how they're
going to be filled in. Uh, Elian is in Florida. Hi, Elian.
Go right ahead.
S11 (27:30):
Hi. Thank you for your program, I loved it. Um,
I moved to Florida after my husband passed, so I'm
a widow living in a house by myself, and we're
having a lot. I was having it still having a
lot of problems with rats. There are rats in the backyard,
even during the day. And, um, I call a pest
(27:53):
control company. And they came and they put some boxes outside,
and they gave me the key, and they told me,
now you open the box to check if there's anything
in there, and you keep, you know, putting the peanut
butter in opening. And I had no courage to open
those rat boxes. So I have this neighbor. They don't
(28:16):
live here. They come. You know, a few times a
year and they're very sweet Christian family. And I ask him,
could you please check the red boxes for me? I
don't have the nerve to do it. And he. He did.
And he only not only opened the box, he cleared
it all out. One had a snake in it.
S9 (28:36):
And.
S11 (28:37):
It was the best gift that a widow could have.
There's little things, but it makes such a big difference
when you're living alone and you don't have that man
taking care of the the big rats of life.
S1 (28:51):
Well, it.
S9 (28:52):
Also it.
S1 (28:53):
It also shows you, you know, you you're lonely, you
feel alone. And then something like that happens and it
magnifies the feeling. It makes you, you know, feel it
even more. Right.
S11 (29:05):
Yes it does.
S1 (29:09):
I had a I had a fellow do the same
thing who came out with those boxes. And he gave me,
I said, leave me the key and I'll see, you know,
he said, I'll come back next week and well, leave
me the key and I'll see. And he said, well,
they're a little tricky to get up there. And he
showed me and it took me like 3 or 4
days just to figure out how to open one of
them because they are, you know, so that you had
somebody who knew how to do that and came alongside you.
(29:33):
What a gift. What a gift. Uh, thank you Eliana.
God bless you, friend. Uh, Heather said this on Facebook.
My newly adopted cat turned out to be a mighty
hunter and brought her living trophies into the house while
I was at work. I could deal with most of them,
and luckily she usually put them in the bathtub. When
(29:54):
she brought a snake in. I had to ask my
neighbor to please get it. I can't stand those snakes, Heather.
I get that and Eliana gets that from the rats.
Laurie is in the great state of Michigan. Laurie, tell
me why you called today.
S12 (30:09):
Hi. I feel like I'm following exactly where I should
be in the story, because I had a get together
from women at my church, at my home, from women
at my church. I kind of stepped out of my
comfort zone. I'm not really great at hospitality in my opinion.
I'm just not real outgoing like that. But I thought, well,
I'll just have it at my house, you know? It'll
(30:30):
be fine. It's about eight women and the right around.
They were coming like at 1:00 and right around noon
in my wood stove, I heard flapping a live bird
had gotten from the top of the roof, down through
the pipes, into the into the wood stove. And it's
right where we were all going to sit. I wanted
everything to be just so like I was really. I
(30:51):
have a very modest home, and I'm just I just thought, well,
just get through this. It'll be it'll everything. What could
go wrong today? I'll just do a really good job. Well,
the bird, it was very loud. There was no way
to have, you know, 8 to 10 people at my
house without with this problem. And my husband's a truck driver.
So I called him and he's like, well, I'm in
a couple states away from you. I can't do anything.
(31:13):
I'm like, oh no, what am I going to do?
So and the other neighbor has some guy, some children,
adult kids, boys. But they were all gone. So I
had to. I called another neighbor and they were hesitant.
He's a. I only met him once, but the wife
and him were a little hesitant. She's like, I'm not
sure he's really ready to do something like this. He
(31:33):
doesn't really like birds. I'm like, I don't either. I
really don't love birds. They would have probably helped. But
she said, I'm not sure. I'll call him and see,
you know, what he thinks about this. And I just couldn't.
I was desperate to get. I just wanted the bird
out of my woodstove and out of my house, and
then I wouldn't have. I wouldn't probably tell the ladies
(31:54):
what happened. I just wanted it all to go away. Well,
that didn't work out because the bird, nobody could help
right away and they were all showing up. So I
did call a deacon at my church and he said,
I'm on my way pretty soon. But in the meantime,
the ladies came and two of the women, one the
tiniest woman. She's young, but she's her name is Lynette.
If she's listening, she actually said, I love birds. If
(32:17):
you have, like, a towel or a sheet, I'll just
open this door and everybody's like, oh boy, the bird's
going to fly out of that door and all around
the house. She's like, no, I'll wrap them up in
the towel and I'll get them outside. And it was
a tiny bluebird and she was so brave. And another
I think it was Sarah. She said, I'm not afraid
of birds. I'm good with them. The women were, like,
(32:37):
really brave and strong, and they were just stepping up
to the plate. I'm like, wow. I was like, I
was in another room. I'm like, that bird starts flying
around my hair. I don't know. So but they. And
then the deacon came. He's like six foot four. He's like,
do you guys got handled? I'm like, well, the net does.
She's doing great. So it was just so funny. He
(32:58):
did help though. Mike um, he helped. But a lot
of people said we have no problem with birds. We'll
grab them right up and take them outside and watch
them go away. Watch them fly away.
S1 (33:09):
I set him free.
S12 (33:11):
They said this is the best party they've been to.
I said, I'm so embarrassed and so sorry that this
happened on our day together. And they're like, no, this
was so exciting.
S9 (33:20):
So fun. See?
S1 (33:21):
Right there. Right there. The thing that you. And you
wanted everything controlled. And you wanted everything nice and neat.
And you wanted everything in place. Yes. And calm and
and and and no drama. And here, here comes the bird.
Did you name that bird, by the way? Does it
have a name?
S9 (33:39):
No.
S12 (33:40):
No name. But it was a pretty bluebird. She's like, oh,
God brought you this bluebird is the cutest. I'm like, oh, okay.
If you look at it that way, that's one way to.
S9 (33:48):
Look at it.
S1 (33:49):
Well, my point is, God can use the glitches of life.
God can use the birds in your. Was it did
you say was the stove that they flew down.
S9 (34:00):
Wood stove.
S12 (34:01):
In Michigan. We got a wood stove for. Yeah.
S9 (34:05):
God, can you use that to.
S1 (34:06):
Break down barriers and to do things that that you
can't do, you know, on your own that it takes
something on the outside if you will let it. You know.
S9 (34:16):
You could.
S1 (34:17):
Have canceled it. You could have said, I can't do that.
We'll have to do it. Somebody else's house, this, that
and the other thing. Um, but you didn't. And look
at what happened. I bet you're you're closer because of it.
S12 (34:28):
Yes. We still meet together, and they remember and we
have pictures. And I just was amazed at the women
were so brave. And I'm not that brave person. And
the men were, you know, a little bit more hesitant
to stand back.
S9 (34:42):
And watch.
S12 (34:42):
It happen. It was kind of a surprise the whole day.
S9 (34:46):
So Laurie, thank you.
S1 (34:48):
That's and because there may be somebody listening right now
and there's some you know, the plumber is is at
your house a little longer and promised tonight. Well that's
probably not true. But you know what I'm saying. There's
a bird in your stove and you think this is
the worst thing in the world. I've got to get the.
This may be the entree, the very entree into something
(35:10):
deeper with a neighbor and just this conversation. Thank you
for your calls here today at the back fence, because
just this conversation jogged a memory for me today with
my own father. And I think, I think this is
part of the answer of the why that Felicia was
talking about being strong and not weak and being the
(35:31):
leaning post. I remember my dad, uh, he worked shift
work and he was a farmer, and he had, uh,
beef cattle, and he was trying to get a cow steer,
I think. I didn't I didn't get their names, but, um,
it could have been a bull maybe. I don't think
it had horns. Uh, but he was trying to get
(35:51):
it into the back of the truck by himself. And
for some reason, he didn't ask for any help from anybody.
And I watched this. Everything was going fine until they
got to the truck. He had this, you know, the
rope around the the lead around the cow, bring it over.
And it was very compliant. Just seem to be doing
(36:13):
doing well. And as soon as he got to the truck,
the cow decided that it wasn't a good idea. He
didn't want to go for a ride. And therein, my
father got dragged all around the lawn by the barn,
by him. And and he, uh, you know, got real
red in the face. And finally he got the rope
(36:33):
around this little tree. And he went around it a
couple times, and the cow was still pulling, but he
couldn't pull the tree down. And gasping, my dad said
to me, Chris, go get Mr. Burdette. Ask him to
help us. And I thought, as I'm walking over there
or running? Uh, why didn't he call Mr. Burdette before
(36:54):
he put the rope around his neck? We should have
had a better plan. And I think that's partly not
to throw my dad, you know, behind the cow. But
I think that's partly the answer to my my conundrum. Why?
It's hard for me to ask for help. I. I
caught that from my father. That the best way to
do something is to do it on your own. Don't
(37:15):
bother other people. You do it yourself. And I and
I watched that and and I absorbed that. And and
the styrofoam. You know, not the greatest analogy, but it's true.
I'll hold back because, well, that shows that I'm weak
and and it doesn't the, the p word come up here,
(37:37):
doesn't it? The pride word come out. I don't want
anybody to see me, that I am not able to
do this thing, or I want to do that myself.
And when you let the defenses down of that, well,
this even goes into the spiritual area of our lives.
And we'll talk about that when we come back. I'll
take more of your calls if you're on the line.
Hang on. I want to hear your story today at
(37:59):
the radio backyard fence. Just go to Chris Fabry live.
By the way, we've got a great thank you this
month for anybody who supports this program. I'll tell you
about that as well When we come back, this is
Chris Fabry live on Moody Radio. This is our neighbor
(38:23):
edition of Chris Fabry Live. You know how we're hearing
this program today. You know you're hearing it either live
or a podcast. You're hearing it because there have been people,
friends and partners who've gotten involved with us at the
back fence. We are fueled by your your gifts, by
listening to the program, but also your gifts to the program. And, uh,
(38:45):
it's hard for me to ask for help, but I'm
going to do it again here in August. I get
to choose the thank you each month, and we had
Doctor Ryan Cook on with us at the end of May,
and I liked it so much. I said, I want
to put this in people's hands. It's called talking with God.
It goes through all 150 psalms. The Psalmists knew that
(39:08):
God wants us to be honest, brutally honest at times,
and this book can give you a new attitude on
how you relate to God. If it's a struggle for
you to be real with him and to ask help
from him. I want to send you a copy of
talking with God. If you give a gift of any size,
(39:28):
we'll send it to you 866 95 Faber or go
to Chris Faber. If you can give a gift each
month and become a back fence partner, you get my
back fence post. I sent a video out yesterday of
Rosie and me after the program. She had some great
things to say that we didn't have time for on
the air. So if you want to be a partner
(39:48):
and give each month or a friend, give a one
time gift, go to Chris. Or call eight 695 and
Ryan's going to be with us next week. We're going
to talk about the do a deep dive in the
Psalms again next week. Thanks for your support of the
at the radio backyard fence. We're talking about neighbors favors.
(40:11):
Ed is in Springfield, Illinois. Hey, Ed, go right ahead.
S13 (40:16):
Hi. Thanks for letting me on. I always enjoy your show. Um,
the first year of Covid, my youngest child was a
senior in high school. So her senior year of, uh, softball,
you know, the prom, even graduation all got canceled. And
then later on in the summer, um, they decided they
(40:38):
were going to do a graduation parade throughout the town.
And I am somebody. I never try to borrow anything
because I always figure if I borrow something from somebody,
that's when it'll. It'll go wrong. It'll break down or something.
But the morning of the parade, I got to thinking
about my daughter riding in the back seat of my
(40:59):
SUV for this parade. And I thought, boy, I wish
I knew somebody that would had a had a convertible
that they would let me borrow. And I thought of
a friend of mine who I know has a bunch
of different vehicles. So I text him if he had
a convertible that I could use for my daughter's graduation parade,
(41:20):
and he text back, yes. So I called him and
I said, really? You got a convertible I could borrow?
He said, yeah, I got a 66 Corvette you can borrow.
And I said, what? And you'll let me borrow it?
He said, yeah, come on over and get it. And
I couldn't believe it. So my daughter not only got
to ride in a convertible, but she rode in style
(41:43):
that day, and I'm just so grateful. He's a good
friend of mine, but still, I hate to borrow things
like that.
S9 (41:50):
Yes.
S1 (41:51):
And it's. Isn't that a stingray? Isn't that what they
called it?
S13 (41:55):
I cannot, you know. I'm not a car guy. Okay.
S9 (41:59):
All right.
S13 (41:59):
I know it's 66, but as a special vehicle.
S9 (42:02):
So it is.
S1 (42:03):
It's a it's a gorgeous vehicle and the lines of that.
But you being able to get over you know I
really don't want to do this. You know what got
you over the hump, though was your daughter. You knew
how much it would mean to her, right?
S13 (42:17):
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
S9 (42:20):
Love it.
S1 (42:21):
I love that. Thank you for your call. And, uh,
Renee says, my, uh, Robin says my daughter and I
were spending our Christmas alone in 2018. We planned a
festive menu that included some 14 ingredient. Probably only a
slight exaggeration. Brussels sprouts recipe. Okay, somehow we missed the
quite necessary balsamic fig sauce ingredient. Now it's Christmas morning
(42:45):
and we have no fig sauce. We posted in our
Facebook group. Anybody have any anybody have any balsamic fig sauce.
We need it for our Christmas Brussels sprouts. A few
minutes later we get the reply yes, I have balsamic
fig sauce. You're welcome to come by and get it.
Susan was a lovely older woman with some mobility issues.
(43:08):
She was cooking and celebrating alone. She insisted her balsamic
fig sauce was a staple in her fridge. Quite unnecessary
for her Christmas menu. So we got her fig sauce.
But for a few special moments that morning we all
paused and shared a little Christmas together. All because of
(43:28):
the need. All because of. Because of asking the neighbor
for help. Which, parenthetically, Robin sounds like a hallmark movie,
doesn't it? So here's my new idea. Single dad wants
to make Christmas special for his kids, and he makes
a Brussels sprouts dish on Christmas. But he forgets the
balsamic fig sauce and he posts online. A grandmother responds,
(43:51):
says she has some come on over, and when he
gets there, he meets the granddaughter who is a Christmas
tree farmer who's now out of work, and they go
into business selling balsamic fig sauce. I don't know the
title yet, but let's keep thinking about it. What do
you say? We got to go. We got to go
with this one. I think this, uh, you know, the
couch that Lynette talked about. Linda and the power going out,
(44:14):
the prom, uh, having the shower with the neighbor down
the street. Felicia and her shot. All of these lead
me back to one thing. And that is the parallel
between receiving help from a neighbor and help from God.
And I will do this myself. I don't believe this
(44:35):
theologically in my head. I know theologically I cannot live
this way. I cannot think this way. But in practicality,
I'll say, God, you take care of the big stuff.
I'll take care of this. I'll do this over here
myself because I don't want to bother you with it.
I don't want to bother you with the little things.
I'll do this on my own. And then when I
(44:57):
need you, I'll come back to you.
S14 (45:00):
And I think some people.
S1 (45:01):
Even do that with their relationship with God to begin with,
with their salvation. It's like, I'm going to live a
good life. I'm going to do the best that I can.
And God, you know, you fill in the rest. I
know that I'll need help, but I'm going to do
everything I can to earn, to earn your favor, to
earn salvation. And the Bible says you can't do it
(45:24):
because we have that which separates us from a holy God.
The sin that is in our lives. And that's why,
as a good neighbor from another world, Jesus came, became
a man, and lived a perfectly sinless life so that
he could die in our place, take the penalty that
(45:47):
we deserved because of his righteousness, and then rising again
to new life, offer us that relationship with him. So
don't spurn the gift of God. As a matter of fact,
who was the person who called who said the grace?
It was just such grace. Yeah, it was the gale
(46:09):
who said that the people wanted to do this. Jesus
wanted to go to the lengths that he went to
to purchase your forgiveness, your salvation. That's good news. Drink
it in. Thank him for it. Live in it. Continue
to ask him on everything to come in and to
(46:31):
do what he can do. When you're weak, he can
be strong. And if you've never done that, go to
our website at the top and the bottom we have
How to Know Christ and knowing Christ. You can find
out more about it right there. Chris Fabry live. Our
program is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
Moody Bible Institute. Thanks a lot for listening. Have a
(46:54):
great weekend.
Hey, neighbor. I need some help today at the radio
backyard fence. Just you and me. I want to talk
about something I've experienced and see if you're on the
same page with me. See if you resonate with the
problem I have. And that is, it is hard for
me to ask for help. It's hard for me to
ask a neighbor for help. Why do you think that is?
I'm all over helping others, asking for help. Now that
(00:28):
is a different thing. It's a struggle. So that's my
first question. The second question is when did you ask
for help from a neighbor? And if you can think
of an unusual request you made or an unusual request
your neighbor made of you? I got over my problem
the other day, and I want to tell you about
it straight ahead on Moody Radio. Welcome to my neighborhood
(00:48):
and my friends. Ryan McConaughey is doing all things technical.
Trish is our producer. Lisa is in the chair. Today.
Ananda will be answering your calls. And since it's Friday.
That's right, friend, it's time for the fabulous favorite Friday.
Sigh what does it do? One we oxygenate your blood.
Two we get your endorphins going. Three we raise your
serotonin level. Four we promote lymphatic drainage. In five we
(01:11):
stimulate your parasympathetic system. That's why we call it the
five love languages. We also stimulate your vagus nerve. We
help you release acetylcholine. And don't you dare forget what
it does to cortisol dissipation. Take in four seconds of
air through your nose right now. Hold it four seconds,
and then as you release that air through your mouth,
push on the left side of your rib cage to
(01:31):
get rid of all that bad carbon dioxide. Give a
side today for the unusual request for help you need
from your neighbor. Could be a cup of sugar. Jump
for a dead battery or keep an eye out for
the missing dog. But what about a missing hamster? What
about hanging Christmas lights at the top of the roof
where you're afraid to climb? Have you ever been in
a situation where you needed something and you thought, I'll
(01:53):
ask my neighbor and you held back for some reason? No,
I don't want to bother him or her. That's too
weird a request. Have you ever asked to borrow a
truck from your neighbor because you need to take your
goat to the vet? I'm asking for a friend. Call
me now. I want to hear your neighborly conundrum at (877) 548-3675. Yes,
(02:16):
Chris Fabry live is programmed from the heart to the
heart for the heart. And we are committed every weekday
to bring you heartfelt conversations about the fleeting life we're
trying to live fully. And today we come to a
rather innocuous topic I think has a deeper meaning than
these surface questions. And we're going to go as deeply
into this as we can of neighbor favors. When you
(02:36):
needed help but held back from asking your neighbor, why'd
you do that? What was your unusual request of your neighbor?
I want to hear from you right now.
S2 (02:45):
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day
for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
It's a neighborly day in this beautywood a neighborly day
for a beauty. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
(03:09):
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So let's make the most of this beautiful day.
S1 (03:18):
Beautiful, isn't.
S2 (03:19):
It? Since we're together, we might as well say.
S1 (03:22):
Go ahead and say it.
S2 (03:23):
Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you
be my neighbor? Won't you please. Won't you please, please.
Won't you be my neighbor?
S1 (03:37):
Jimmy Costa Friday, Cy.
S2 (03:39):
Neighbors are people who are close to us, and friends
are people who are close to our hearts. I like
to think of you as my neighbor and my friend.
S1 (03:50):
Thank you Fred. That gets us started here today. The
back fence. Howdy, friend. Howdy, neighbor. It's just you and me.
Today I have a story for you. I have some questions.
I've already applied you with these. Let me give you
our phone number. (877) 548-3675. The story you tell, the help
you needed might be just what somebody else needs to hear.
(04:11):
And in this setting, I don't have a problem asking
your help or giving the phone number. (877) 548-3675. What comes
to your mind when I bring up this topic of
asking help from a neighbor? Have you done that recently?
Have you struggled to do that recently? Do you have
the same problem? I have you shrink back from asking
(04:33):
for help. Why do you do that? Why do I
do that? Some people, uh, it's like they're asking help
every day, all day. And I see a lot of
people responding to that. You know, the negative. I can't
get my neighbor to leave me alone. This is the
other side of that. And I had this happen the
other day. And I'm going to tell you this story,
and then I want to hear from you and answer
(04:54):
that question. So to answer the question, what's wrong with me?
Why can't I ask for help? Number one and number two,
have you asked your neighbor for help in some unusual
task that you or something that you needed that was
a little unusual, a little off the beaten path? Or
has your neighbor done the same to you? And here
(05:15):
is my story. My trash and recycle is picked up
on Thursday. Thursdays are high Holy days for me. I
look forward to Thursdays and getting the bins to the
street the night before. There is nothing better than empty
trash containers and nothing more frustrating. Well, last week we
talked about the little foxes. Uh, it's vexing when the
(05:37):
trash truck misses you or has equipment problems and they
have to delay their route for a day or two.
So I think trash removal might be the sixth love language,
though Gary would no doubt say that's acts of service.
So it was a Monday and my bins were full
because someone in the house where I am right now
(05:59):
had two big boxes that had large pieces of styrofoam
in them. Not the little the little peanut styrofoam things,
great big pieces, but even the big pieces I like
to break down and put in bags. Because if the
if the wind is blowing when the trash truck comes,
those things can fly away. And you don't want to
(06:19):
see those in the in the desert or in nature.
So I always make sure that I, I'm a good neighbor.
I always make sure that I put those in bags
and don't let them fly around the neighborhood, because that
is the worst. So I get the trash situated and
it becomes apparent it's probably on the weekend, you know,
and there's not enough room in the bin. And, uh,
(06:42):
we were over. We have to make it from Saturday
to Thursday. And then again, an idea. Great idea, a
wonderful idea. The neighbors on either side of me have
a different trash service that comes on Tuesday, and both
of them have a lot less people living in their
houses than I do. And I never see their trash
(07:06):
cans with the tops, you know, kind of flying up
because it's so full. So I think, what if I
can offload some styrofoam on Tuesday? If I can do that,
then I'll make it to Thursday. So Monday comes and
I'm debating with myself, do I really want to call
and ask for room? That is a weird thing to ask.
(07:30):
Hey neighbor, can I borrow your trash can? And I think, well,
it'd be easier just to text, but then how do
you explain that? How do you text and explain that
you got any room in trash can? I've got some styrofoam.
And it's not the little stuff. It's the big stuff.
And I have it in. It's like, no, it just
felt weird. And I don't want to bother them either.
One on either side. I just leave it alone. I'll
(07:52):
just get by. And Tuesday comes and I'm looking at
the bins and I'm staring at the styrofoam. And there's
no way we're going to make it to Thursday and
two on Tuesday. The truck hasn't come. Their truck doesn't
come till like in the afternoon, and I'm pacing in
the driveway. I'm going back and forth. Do I go
(08:13):
ahead and call? Do I text? I don't really need this.
I don't want to bother them. Just let it go.
Don't be that neighbor, you know. And that's what's going
on in my head. Why do you think I thought that?
Why do you think I was having this wrestling match
about the trash can and just asking? Because I feel
(08:35):
like we have a good relationship. I identify with having
a good relationship with my neighbors. We like each other,
I see him, we'll wave at each other. Um, if
one of the neighbors said to me, hey, any chance
I could put a trash bag in your trash can
I see the the top is going down on yours.
I have no problem with it. Yeah. Come on over.
Let's see. You know, we could both stand on it.
(08:57):
Why did I have a problem asking for that favor? (877) 548-3675.
And then I want you to tell me the request
that you made of your neighbor. And it doesn't have
to be trash related. And I hope it's not. It
is something else that you asked or that your neighbor
(09:18):
asked of you. What was the most unusual call for
help you made or received? (877) 548-3675 is our number. Your
story might be used to go deeper today. Let's talk
about it. Neighbor, come on over to the back fence
and let's see if we can do a little bit
(09:40):
of life together. You can answer on Facebook, but I'd
love to hear your voice. Seven five more straight ahead
on Moody Radio.
S3 (09:59):
I think this is the perfect Friday.
S1 (10:01):
Conversation because it will take us. It's a surface question.
You know, anytime you talk about, uh, something your neighbor
asked of you or that you asked of your neighbor,
it's kind of a a surface thing. And yet I
think there's something deep going on, especially with my conundrum
of not wanting to ask for help. Why is that?
You got one line open now. I love this, I
(10:23):
love it when people respond to this. And we've had
kind of some heavy programs this week. And for those
of you who responded to what we did last couple
of days with Moody Aviation, if you don't know what
I'm talking about, don't worry about it. Uh, but if
you responded to that. Oh, boy howdy. Thank you. You're what,
a neighbor. What a neighbor you are. Thanks for your support. And, uh,
(10:43):
let's see what good things we can do today. Lynette
is up first. Lynette. Why did you call it today?
S4 (10:50):
I called because I had moved out of my neighborhood,
and after about five years, I moved back in. So
a lot of the neighbors had changed. And I didn't
know them anymore. But my neighbor across the street, um,
was young and strong, and I needed to move two
couches into my house, and I knew I couldn't do
(11:10):
it myself. And so I approached him and asked him
if he would help me, and he said, sure, I
can help you. When do you want to do it?
And the very next morning at 8:00, he and his son, Eli, um,
got in their cars, met me at the house, put
the two huge couches in the trailer, came back to
my house, put him in the house, and took my
(11:31):
old couch out to the road. I was mind boggled
at how willing they were to serve me. And then
they wouldn't take any money.
S1 (11:40):
Yes.
S4 (11:41):
And it has transformed my relationship with them. Because now
every time we see each other, we wave. When when
Daniel Lopez's daughter comes across the street to get the mail,
she comes into the yard and visits with me, and
it just changed everything.
S1 (11:58):
And it was because you had a need and you
couldn't do it on your own. There's no way you
could have lifted that on your own, right?
S4 (12:06):
I could not, yeah, I could not. You can try
real hard. If I can do something on my own,
I do it. But some things I can't do well.
S1 (12:14):
And you could hire it to, you know, you could
have gotten a moving that gets really expensive. If you
have a friend who's willing to do it and then
that they would, it does not surprise me that they
would say, we're not taking anything for that. There wasn't
anything to do. We're helping you out. You know, that's
that's a neighbor, right?
S4 (12:32):
And the beautiful thing is, they really didn't know me.
You know what I mean? We've we've crossed each other's paths,
you know, at the mailbox or something. But it's not
like a neighbor that I've had for, you know, 5
or 10 years that I really knew, but they were
willing to do that for me, even though I was
a little bit of a stranger, just because I asked.
S1 (12:52):
I'm glad that you did, Lynette. And that story is
I've heard this on a spiritual level that many times
Christians think, you know, I need to reach my neighbor
who's not a Christian. And the best way to do
that is to, you know, fill in all the needs
and meet all the needs. And sometimes your need is
(13:13):
an entree for a relationship where they see that they
can give something to you and it opens them up
just to friendship, first of all. And then you start
to have this relationship and you get to share some
of the deeper things. Lynette, thanks for your call today. Uh,
Linda is in Decatur, Illinois. Linda, tell me why you called.
S4 (13:35):
Well, my husband had had a stroke.
S5 (13:37):
And he was bedridden, and I had to keep in
contact with the doctor all the time. If there was
an emergency, I had to immediately call. Well, um, our
power went out at our house and my phone was dead.
So I talked to the neighbors and asked if they
would charge my cell phone for me. And so I
could have it to reach the doctor. So. So they
(13:59):
did that, and I thought that was kind of unusual.
Who has has to have a neighbor charge their cell
phone for them?
S1 (14:06):
Did they let you bring it inside and charge it,
or did you charge it outside.
S5 (14:10):
No. They took it so I didn't have to leave
my house. I saw them outside. They took my phone.
They took it to their home, charge it and brought
it back for me.
S1 (14:19):
All right. There it is. And you didn't have a
problem asking that. It was like, I need this. I
have no power. Hey, can you help me out? Right.
S5 (14:28):
Well, no, I it was hard to ask, and I
started to panic when there was no power because I
had I had to be able to reach the doctor.
That was just, you know. And so then I'm thinking,
what am I going to do? Oh, Lord, help me.
What am I going to do? I was praying, Lord,
I've got to have my cell phone. So, you know,
going back and forth like that. And finally it's like, okay,
(14:50):
ask so and so so and they, they were out.
So God just worked it out for me. But it
wasn't it wasn't easy because I'm the caregiver, you know,
and I'm the one that helps people. So it's hard
to ask when you're the one that's usually doing the helping.
S1 (15:07):
Okay. There it is. That's one reason why, as the caregiver,
you have to have everything together and you have to
have the plan. And when something goes wrong with the
plan and you don't know then and you have to
have help, it's almost like you feel, I can't be
weak here. I've got to be strong. Um, and is
(15:29):
that kind of why you found it hard to ask
for help?
S5 (15:33):
Yes. Yes, because I was the one that was there helping,
moving him around and making sure he basically stayed alive.
And now what am I going to do? I need help, but.
But how do how do I how do I get help?
What do I do?
S1 (15:50):
Okay, well, both were true. As I listen to your story,
both were true there that you you needed help, but
you were also the caregiver. So you were able to
do what? You know, your job was with your husband
as well as say, I'm in need here. Both of
those things were true at the same time. Thank you.
(16:11):
That's that gives us a peek. I mean, that's a
pretty serious charge of a of a battery that we're
talking about there. Gail's in Indiana. Gail, tell me your story.
S6 (16:22):
Yes. Um, it was prom night, and we had a
plumber come in the morning to do some repairs, and
it got to be later in the day. And he
wasn't finished with the plumbing. And my son was panicking
because he needed a shower and our closest neighbors were
out of town, so I had to go to a
(16:44):
neighbor I didn't really know and ask them if I
could use their shower, if my son could use her shower.
And then on top of that, they had a daughter
that was going to the prom. So my son was
so humiliated. But we all laugh about it now.
S1 (17:02):
Yes it was. But at the time, at the time,
it's a big deal because he's got to look nice.
He's got to get his hair washed and everything. And then,
you know, it probably was harder for him to go
to a stranger's house to take us, you know, and
all that, right?
S6 (17:19):
His towel across the street.
S1 (17:24):
That is a good story. That's a good story. Knock
knock knock. Hey, can we use your shower? Yeah. And
how did they respond? What did they say? Yeah, come
on in.
S6 (17:34):
They were so gracious. Oh, they were so nice. Just.
Just amazing.
S1 (17:41):
See, now, there's another little thing. I heard it in
your voice when you said, oh, they were so gracious.
Because my guess is everybody's been through something like that.
When the plumber has stayed a little too long, the
water has stayed off a little too long. And you're like,
you identify with that. You can climb into those shoes
(18:03):
and think, oh, what are we going to do? Absolutely.
Come on in here. So in order to receive the grace, though,
you've got to take you've got to walk across the street,
don't you?
S6 (18:14):
I'd have gone down the whole street to find them
a shower.
S1 (18:19):
Oh, Gail. God bless you, Gail. Thank you for calling
in here today. Um, this is kind of a, in
a sense, a discretionary ask. Now, I think Linda's was
more of of an emergency. You know, if you've got
an appointment, you got car trouble. Jump my battery or
(18:39):
there's some kind of a medical thing. It's when I
was a kid, we had, um. And obviously we didn't
have cell phones back then. We had a party line,
and the people across the street who had moved in
had no phone. And so we got a knock on
the door one day. And, you know, we're new and
our son has a medical condition. He was a hemophiliac.
(19:03):
And so if he gets scrape on the knee at
school and starts to bleed, it's a it's a serious thing.
So the request was can we give the school your
phone number so that if something happens there, you can
let us know. And, uh, I, I was a kid.
My mother was absolutely. And as I recall it, there
(19:25):
was only one time when that ever happened. There was
ever an emergency there. So that that is like, you know,
you need you needed an open phone line lines somewhere.
But what I'm seeing is, you know, styrofoam is not
that big a deal. Um, a couch, you know, you
you can wait on the couch. But but when Lynette
(19:45):
went ahead and did this, do you see when you
when you are the one in need, what happens to you? Uh,
Felicia is in Tampa, Florida. Felicia, tell me why you
called today.
S7 (19:57):
Hello. Thanks for taking my call. God bless you all.
I am calling because it resonates with me that probably
about 15, 20 years ago, I lived across the street.
Across the street from a couple with a young baby.
They didn't interact much, but the rest of us interacted
a lot. Our other neighbors and I was going through, um,
(20:18):
a medical issue as a cardiac patient where I had
to have two injections in my stomach per day of
blood thinner, and I refused to do it to myself.
And my daughter, who was 14, 1416 would do it.
She was out of pocket. My husband's Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic.
He was at work. I didn't want to drive across
(20:40):
town to him. And I'm panicking. I'm like, somebody's got
to give me this shot. I've got to have this medicine.
And I remembered that this young lady was a nurse,
and I literally showed up at her door. She answers
the door with this baby on her hip, and I'm like,
can you give me my shot?
S1 (20:59):
Did you know her at all? Was she or was
she a complete stranger?
S7 (21:04):
She was not a complete stranger, but she was the
one house of us that was not the most interactive.
She was very not as sociable as the other neighbors
I knew. Close with the neighbors on either side of
me and directly across the street, and like, there was
like six houses of us that were all just close,
(21:24):
but they were kind of standoffish.
S1 (21:28):
And what did that do then? When how did she
respond to you saying, can you give me the shot?
S7 (21:35):
He responded wonderfully, and at that point I really didn't care.
I just needed somebody to give me that shot. That
was big for me because I'm used to being the
leaning post, and I love springing into action to be
the aid of someone else. But if I can't accomplish
something within my own power or within my own four walls,
it's very difficult for me to admit I am in
(22:00):
need of help.
S1 (22:02):
Why?
S7 (22:02):
That was huge for me.
S1 (22:04):
Do you know why that is?
S7 (22:06):
I'm used to being the on the giving end, not
the receiving end of it. I love being a helper.
S1 (22:14):
Yes. And so. And, um, not to not to play
psychologist here on the radio, but your your identity is
wrapped up in what I do for others. I'm competent.
I'm capable. I am able to fill needs, and I
do that. And when I feel the need, it's like
(22:34):
I just get uncomfortable with it. Is that it?
S7 (22:37):
Yeah. And at the time, my profession was a deputy.
S8 (22:41):
I was a deputy at the time.
S7 (22:43):
So always in an authoritative role, um, caregiver for my mom. Well,
at the time, my mom, when they divorced, I was 12,
and I became caregiver to my baby brother, who, um,
I just I just was always in that role. I
assumed roles that were not necessary to keep others from
(23:04):
doing it.
S1 (23:05):
And they can depend on you. You became dependable. So
that was part of it as well. We can lean
on Felicia. She's the leaning post. We can trust her.
We can. Yeah, yeah. And so you grow into that.
I think that's really. That's really good. Um, now, why
didn't you want to give yourself the shot? You could
do that. Probably for somebody else, don't you think?
S7 (23:29):
I don't want to.
S9 (23:30):
You don't?
S7 (23:31):
I have home health care to come to my home. Um,
when I first got this diagnosis with my heart to
show me how to do the injection, I literally put
it in and snatched it out and said, I'm never
doing this to myself again. Now I just didn't want to,
I couldn't. It was like I was self-harming.
S9 (23:51):
Yes.
S1 (23:52):
And so there was, there was this block there. So
now the question is, and everybody's wondering, how are you
doing now? How long ago was this? And how's your heart?
S7 (24:02):
Um, back then I had had two heart surgeries and
a stroke. I've now since had five heart surgeries, two
other mini strokes. Um, some additional surgeries. Um, I have also.
I'm scheduled Tuesday this coming Tuesday to have the current
loop recorder surgically removed. Then a second incision to implant
(24:27):
my pacemaker, and I have been in a dark moment
this morning in tears. And the Lord sent a young
lady who I'd been mentoring before, um, placed me on
her heart first thing this morning, and she called me
with something she needed help with. And then after I
helped her two hours to call later, I told her.
(24:48):
I said, I have to be candid with you, that
you were used by God today to kind of help
me shift my focus because I'm. I like to teach,
especially from Titus two to young women. And I needed
to I had to spring into action for her. So
it got my gaze off of me because I was like, Lord,
(25:09):
this is heart surgery number six. I'm exhausted. I'm tired.
I literally flatlined on the table during my second of
five heart surgeries and in 2007, and I'm tired. And
I was literally crying out to God when she messaged me,
can you talk right now?
S1 (25:26):
Okay, well, you've opened the door here for us, father. You.
I can hear the anxiety in Felicia, but also her
trust in you. Both of those are going together. So
as we learn about this situation, that's going to happen
next Tuesday, I just pray for real peace in her heart,
for wisdom, for those who are performing this surgery and
(25:46):
that you would work your. You are the Great Physician,
work your healing in her life or pray in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
S10 (26:05):
I love what Felicia was saying.
S1 (26:07):
And in the break she told me a little bit
more about the procedure on Tuesday. So be praying for her.
She's going to let us know afterward how things go.
But she said that she's been singing the the Waymaker song.
You know, he's my way maker miracle worker. But she
replaces Waymaker with pacemaker. I love that too. I love
(26:30):
that creativity and love that heart. And I told her,
I told Felicia in the break, I said, um, there
is somebody who's probably going through the same kind of
thing with anxiety, with this heaviness of some procedure or
some diagnosis that they're waiting for. And it's just, you know,
(26:53):
how am I going to get through this season of
waiting and looking? I said, your your voice is going
to help folks in there and kind of brought us
full circle from her need and the shot all the
way around to what she's doing. So I hope that
ministered to you and the and the whole idea of
our weakness. When we're weak, he can be strong. When
(27:17):
we realize we need help, he can fill in the
blanks there that we don't know, even know how they're
going to be filled in. Uh, Elian is in Florida. Hi, Elian.
Go right ahead.
S11 (27:30):
Hi. Thank you for your program, I loved it. Um,
I moved to Florida after my husband passed, so I'm
a widow living in a house by myself, and we're
having a lot. I was having it still having a
lot of problems with rats. There are rats in the backyard,
even during the day. And, um, I call a pest
(27:53):
control company. And they came and they put some boxes outside,
and they gave me the key, and they told me,
now you open the box to check if there's anything
in there, and you keep, you know, putting the peanut
butter in opening. And I had no courage to open
those rat boxes. So I have this neighbor. They don't
(28:16):
live here. They come. You know, a few times a
year and they're very sweet Christian family. And I ask him,
could you please check the red boxes for me? I
don't have the nerve to do it. And he. He did.
And he only not only opened the box, he cleared
it all out. One had a snake in it.
S9 (28:36):
And.
S11 (28:37):
It was the best gift that a widow could have.
There's little things, but it makes such a big difference
when you're living alone and you don't have that man
taking care of the the big rats of life.
S1 (28:51):
Well, it.
S9 (28:52):
Also it.
S1 (28:53):
It also shows you, you know, you you're lonely, you
feel alone. And then something like that happens and it
magnifies the feeling. It makes you, you know, feel it
even more. Right.
S11 (29:05):
Yes it does.
S1 (29:09):
I had a I had a fellow do the same
thing who came out with those boxes. And he gave me,
I said, leave me the key and I'll see, you know,
he said, I'll come back next week and well, leave
me the key and I'll see. And he said, well,
they're a little tricky to get up there. And he
showed me and it took me like 3 or 4
days just to figure out how to open one of
them because they are, you know, so that you had
somebody who knew how to do that and came alongside you.
(29:33):
What a gift. What a gift. Uh, thank you Eliana.
God bless you, friend. Uh, Heather said this on Facebook.
My newly adopted cat turned out to be a mighty
hunter and brought her living trophies into the house while
I was at work. I could deal with most of them,
and luckily she usually put them in the bathtub. When
(29:54):
she brought a snake in. I had to ask my
neighbor to please get it. I can't stand those snakes, Heather.
I get that and Eliana gets that from the rats.
Laurie is in the great state of Michigan. Laurie, tell
me why you called today.
S12 (30:09):
Hi. I feel like I'm following exactly where I should
be in the story, because I had a get together
from women at my church, at my home, from women
at my church. I kind of stepped out of my
comfort zone. I'm not really great at hospitality in my opinion.
I'm just not real outgoing like that. But I thought, well,
I'll just have it at my house, you know? It'll
(30:30):
be fine. It's about eight women and the right around.
They were coming like at 1:00 and right around noon
in my wood stove, I heard flapping a live bird
had gotten from the top of the roof, down through
the pipes, into the into the wood stove. And it's
right where we were all going to sit. I wanted
everything to be just so like I was really. I
(30:51):
have a very modest home, and I'm just I just thought, well,
just get through this. It'll be it'll everything. What could
go wrong today? I'll just do a really good job. Well,
the bird, it was very loud. There was no way
to have, you know, 8 to 10 people at my
house without with this problem. And my husband's a truck driver.
So I called him and he's like, well, I'm in
a couple states away from you. I can't do anything.
(31:13):
I'm like, oh no, what am I going to do?
So and the other neighbor has some guy, some children,
adult kids, boys. But they were all gone. So I
had to. I called another neighbor and they were hesitant.
He's a. I only met him once, but the wife
and him were a little hesitant. She's like, I'm not
sure he's really ready to do something like this. He
(31:33):
doesn't really like birds. I'm like, I don't either. I
really don't love birds. They would have probably helped. But
she said, I'm not sure. I'll call him and see,
you know, what he thinks about this. And I just couldn't.
I was desperate to get. I just wanted the bird
out of my woodstove and out of my house, and
then I wouldn't have. I wouldn't probably tell the ladies
(31:54):
what happened. I just wanted it all to go away. Well,
that didn't work out because the bird, nobody could help
right away and they were all showing up. So I
did call a deacon at my church and he said,
I'm on my way pretty soon. But in the meantime,
the ladies came and two of the women, one the
tiniest woman. She's young, but she's her name is Lynette.
If she's listening, she actually said, I love birds. If
(32:17):
you have, like, a towel or a sheet, I'll just
open this door and everybody's like, oh boy, the bird's
going to fly out of that door and all around
the house. She's like, no, I'll wrap them up in
the towel and I'll get them outside. And it was
a tiny bluebird and she was so brave. And another
I think it was Sarah. She said, I'm not afraid
of birds. I'm good with them. The women were, like,
(32:37):
really brave and strong, and they were just stepping up
to the plate. I'm like, wow. I was like, I
was in another room. I'm like, that bird starts flying
around my hair. I don't know. So but they. And
then the deacon came. He's like six foot four. He's like,
do you guys got handled? I'm like, well, the net does.
She's doing great. So it was just so funny. He
(32:58):
did help though. Mike um, he helped. But a lot
of people said we have no problem with birds. We'll
grab them right up and take them outside and watch
them go away. Watch them fly away.
S1 (33:09):
I set him free.
S12 (33:11):
They said this is the best party they've been to.
I said, I'm so embarrassed and so sorry that this
happened on our day together. And they're like, no, this
was so exciting.
S9 (33:20):
So fun. See?
S1 (33:21):
Right there. Right there. The thing that you. And you
wanted everything controlled. And you wanted everything nice and neat.
And you wanted everything in place. Yes. And calm and
and and and no drama. And here, here comes the bird.
Did you name that bird, by the way? Does it
have a name?
S9 (33:39):
No.
S12 (33:40):
No name. But it was a pretty bluebird. She's like, oh,
God brought you this bluebird is the cutest. I'm like, oh, okay.
If you look at it that way, that's one way to.
S9 (33:48):
Look at it.
S1 (33:49):
Well, my point is, God can use the glitches of life.
God can use the birds in your. Was it did
you say was the stove that they flew down.
S9 (34:00):
Wood stove.
S12 (34:01):
In Michigan. We got a wood stove for. Yeah.
S9 (34:05):
God, can you use that to.
S1 (34:06):
Break down barriers and to do things that that you
can't do, you know, on your own that it takes
something on the outside if you will let it. You know.
S9 (34:16):
You could.
S1 (34:17):
Have canceled it. You could have said, I can't do that.
We'll have to do it. Somebody else's house, this, that
and the other thing. Um, but you didn't. And look
at what happened. I bet you're you're closer because of it.
S12 (34:28):
Yes. We still meet together, and they remember and we
have pictures. And I just was amazed at the women
were so brave. And I'm not that brave person. And
the men were, you know, a little bit more hesitant
to stand back.
S9 (34:42):
And watch.
S12 (34:42):
It happen. It was kind of a surprise the whole day.
S9 (34:46):
So Laurie, thank you.
S1 (34:48):
That's and because there may be somebody listening right now
and there's some you know, the plumber is is at
your house a little longer and promised tonight. Well that's
probably not true. But you know what I'm saying. There's
a bird in your stove and you think this is
the worst thing in the world. I've got to get the.
This may be the entree, the very entree into something
(35:10):
deeper with a neighbor and just this conversation. Thank you
for your calls here today at the back fence, because
just this conversation jogged a memory for me today with
my own father. And I think, I think this is
part of the answer of the why that Felicia was
talking about being strong and not weak and being the
(35:31):
leaning post. I remember my dad, uh, he worked shift
work and he was a farmer, and he had, uh,
beef cattle, and he was trying to get a cow steer,
I think. I didn't I didn't get their names, but, um,
it could have been a bull maybe. I don't think
it had horns. Uh, but he was trying to get
(35:51):
it into the back of the truck by himself. And
for some reason, he didn't ask for any help from anybody.
And I watched this. Everything was going fine until they
got to the truck. He had this, you know, the
rope around the the lead around the cow, bring it over.
And it was very compliant. Just seem to be doing
(36:13):
doing well. And as soon as he got to the truck,
the cow decided that it wasn't a good idea. He
didn't want to go for a ride. And therein, my
father got dragged all around the lawn by the barn,
by him. And and he, uh, you know, got real
red in the face. And finally he got the rope
(36:33):
around this little tree. And he went around it a
couple times, and the cow was still pulling, but he
couldn't pull the tree down. And gasping, my dad said
to me, Chris, go get Mr. Burdette. Ask him to
help us. And I thought, as I'm walking over there
or running? Uh, why didn't he call Mr. Burdette before
(36:54):
he put the rope around his neck? We should have
had a better plan. And I think that's partly not
to throw my dad, you know, behind the cow. But
I think that's partly the answer to my my conundrum. Why?
It's hard for me to ask for help. I. I
caught that from my father. That the best way to
do something is to do it on your own. Don't
(37:15):
bother other people. You do it yourself. And I and
I watched that and and I absorbed that. And and
the styrofoam. You know, not the greatest analogy, but it's true.
I'll hold back because, well, that shows that I'm weak
and and it doesn't the, the p word come up here,
(37:37):
doesn't it? The pride word come out. I don't want
anybody to see me, that I am not able to
do this thing, or I want to do that myself.
And when you let the defenses down of that, well,
this even goes into the spiritual area of our lives.
And we'll talk about that when we come back. I'll
take more of your calls if you're on the line.
Hang on. I want to hear your story today at
(37:59):
the radio backyard fence. Just go to Chris Fabry live.
By the way, we've got a great thank you this
month for anybody who supports this program. I'll tell you
about that as well When we come back, this is
Chris Fabry live on Moody Radio. This is our neighbor
(38:23):
edition of Chris Fabry Live. You know how we're hearing
this program today. You know you're hearing it either live
or a podcast. You're hearing it because there have been people,
friends and partners who've gotten involved with us at the
back fence. We are fueled by your your gifts, by
listening to the program, but also your gifts to the program. And, uh,
(38:45):
it's hard for me to ask for help, but I'm
going to do it again here in August. I get
to choose the thank you each month, and we had
Doctor Ryan Cook on with us at the end of May,
and I liked it so much. I said, I want
to put this in people's hands. It's called talking with God.
It goes through all 150 psalms. The Psalmists knew that
(39:08):
God wants us to be honest, brutally honest at times,
and this book can give you a new attitude on
how you relate to God. If it's a struggle for
you to be real with him and to ask help
from him. I want to send you a copy of
talking with God. If you give a gift of any size,
(39:28):
we'll send it to you 866 95 Faber or go
to Chris Faber. If you can give a gift each
month and become a back fence partner, you get my
back fence post. I sent a video out yesterday of
Rosie and me after the program. She had some great
things to say that we didn't have time for on
the air. So if you want to be a partner
(39:48):
and give each month or a friend, give a one
time gift, go to Chris. Or call eight 695 and
Ryan's going to be with us next week. We're going
to talk about the do a deep dive in the
Psalms again next week. Thanks for your support of the
at the radio backyard fence. We're talking about neighbors favors.
(40:11):
Ed is in Springfield, Illinois. Hey, Ed, go right ahead.
S13 (40:16):
Hi. Thanks for letting me on. I always enjoy your show. Um,
the first year of Covid, my youngest child was a
senior in high school. So her senior year of, uh, softball,
you know, the prom, even graduation all got canceled. And
then later on in the summer, um, they decided they
(40:38):
were going to do a graduation parade throughout the town.
And I am somebody. I never try to borrow anything
because I always figure if I borrow something from somebody,
that's when it'll. It'll go wrong. It'll break down or something.
But the morning of the parade, I got to thinking
about my daughter riding in the back seat of my
(40:59):
SUV for this parade. And I thought, boy, I wish
I knew somebody that would had a had a convertible
that they would let me borrow. And I thought of
a friend of mine who I know has a bunch
of different vehicles. So I text him if he had
a convertible that I could use for my daughter's graduation parade,
(41:20):
and he text back, yes. So I called him and
I said, really? You got a convertible I could borrow?
He said, yeah, I got a 66 Corvette you can borrow.
And I said, what? And you'll let me borrow it?
He said, yeah, come on over and get it. And
I couldn't believe it. So my daughter not only got
to ride in a convertible, but she rode in style
(41:43):
that day, and I'm just so grateful. He's a good
friend of mine, but still, I hate to borrow things
like that.
S9 (41:50):
Yes.
S1 (41:51):
And it's. Isn't that a stingray? Isn't that what they
called it?
S13 (41:55):
I cannot, you know. I'm not a car guy. Okay.
S9 (41:59):
All right.
S13 (41:59):
I know it's 66, but as a special vehicle.
S9 (42:02):
So it is.
S1 (42:03):
It's a it's a gorgeous vehicle and the lines of that.
But you being able to get over you know I
really don't want to do this. You know what got
you over the hump, though was your daughter. You knew
how much it would mean to her, right?
S13 (42:17):
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
S9 (42:20):
Love it.
S1 (42:21):
I love that. Thank you for your call. And, uh,
Renee says, my, uh, Robin says my daughter and I
were spending our Christmas alone in 2018. We planned a
festive menu that included some 14 ingredient. Probably only a
slight exaggeration. Brussels sprouts recipe. Okay, somehow we missed the
quite necessary balsamic fig sauce ingredient. Now it's Christmas morning
(42:45):
and we have no fig sauce. We posted in our
Facebook group. Anybody have any anybody have any balsamic fig sauce.
We need it for our Christmas Brussels sprouts. A few
minutes later we get the reply yes, I have balsamic
fig sauce. You're welcome to come by and get it.
Susan was a lovely older woman with some mobility issues.
(43:08):
She was cooking and celebrating alone. She insisted her balsamic
fig sauce was a staple in her fridge. Quite unnecessary
for her Christmas menu. So we got her fig sauce.
But for a few special moments that morning we all
paused and shared a little Christmas together. All because of
(43:28):
the need. All because of. Because of asking the neighbor
for help. Which, parenthetically, Robin sounds like a hallmark movie,
doesn't it? So here's my new idea. Single dad wants
to make Christmas special for his kids, and he makes
a Brussels sprouts dish on Christmas. But he forgets the
balsamic fig sauce and he posts online. A grandmother responds,
(43:51):
says she has some come on over, and when he
gets there, he meets the granddaughter who is a Christmas
tree farmer who's now out of work, and they go
into business selling balsamic fig sauce. I don't know the
title yet, but let's keep thinking about it. What do
you say? We got to go. We got to go
with this one. I think this, uh, you know, the
couch that Lynette talked about. Linda and the power going out,
(44:14):
the prom, uh, having the shower with the neighbor down
the street. Felicia and her shot. All of these lead
me back to one thing. And that is the parallel
between receiving help from a neighbor and help from God.
And I will do this myself. I don't believe this
(44:35):
theologically in my head. I know theologically I cannot live
this way. I cannot think this way. But in practicality,
I'll say, God, you take care of the big stuff.
I'll take care of this. I'll do this over here
myself because I don't want to bother you with it.
I don't want to bother you with the little things.
I'll do this on my own. And then when I
(44:57):
need you, I'll come back to you.
S14 (45:00):
And I think some people.
S1 (45:01):
Even do that with their relationship with God to begin with,
with their salvation. It's like, I'm going to live a
good life. I'm going to do the best that I can.
And God, you know, you fill in the rest. I
know that I'll need help, but I'm going to do
everything I can to earn, to earn your favor, to
earn salvation. And the Bible says you can't do it
(45:24):
because we have that which separates us from a holy God.
The sin that is in our lives. And that's why,
as a good neighbor from another world, Jesus came, became
a man, and lived a perfectly sinless life so that
he could die in our place, take the penalty that
(45:47):
we deserved because of his righteousness, and then rising again
to new life, offer us that relationship with him. So
don't spurn the gift of God. As a matter of fact,
who was the person who called who said the grace?
It was just such grace. Yeah, it was the gale
(46:09):
who said that the people wanted to do this. Jesus
wanted to go to the lengths that he went to
to purchase your forgiveness, your salvation. That's good news. Drink
it in. Thank him for it. Live in it. Continue
to ask him on everything to come in and to
(46:31):
do what he can do. When you're weak, he can
be strong. And if you've never done that, go to
our website at the top and the bottom we have
How to Know Christ and knowing Christ. You can find
out more about it right there. Chris Fabry live. Our
program is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
Moody Bible Institute. Thanks a lot for listening. Have a
(46:54):
great weekend.
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