March 13, 2024 • 26 mins
This episode is the message that was given by host Tim Fisher for the first annual, First Responders Night Of Hope.
Physical and mental health are very important for everyone but our spiritual health should be just as important if not more. This episode is the message from Night Of Hope; forgiveness, redemption, grace, love and HOPE.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hello everyone, this is Tim Fisher.
This week's episode is going tobe something different.
This will be the message that Ispoke about at our first annual
First Responders Night of Hope.
I hope you enjoy here.
It is Tonight's about hope andthat hope that we so look for in
(00:33):
so many things many times.
Besides, jesus is Jesus Christ.
I have a story I wanted to tellyou here real quick before we
get started.
I was coming back from Coloradolast year in September.
I'd like to help out differentorganizations and wounded
firefighters.
There's an adaptive sportscenter in Colorado.
We were there for a week.
(00:53):
I flew out there.
We came back on Sunday.
Three of my flights gotcanceled.
A three-hour trip that wassupposed to be direct turned
into about 14 hours.
I'm sorry, I know it wasmiserable, very miserable.
I get stuck in Vegas as theplane is going back to the
terminal.
I'm trying to listen in to whatthey're saying over the
(01:15):
intercom.
I'm in the middle seat.
I'm tired.
It's been 14 hours, listen tome.
Okay, I like the aisle seat.
Okay, I love the aisle seat.
Right, firefighter, I want likethe exit.
Okay, I want to get up and usethe restroom as much as I can.
I'm stuck in the middle betweentwo in humans that I do not
know.
I don't know if they're cleanor not.
(01:36):
I'm miserable, it's hot.
And the gentleman next to me,as I turn on transparency on my
headphones, says to the womanwho's dressed very interestingly
and I'll just say works at aclub because there's children
here.
And he says to her you shouldhave probably eaten your makeup
so you can look beautiful on theinside, because you look like a
two or three on the outside.
(01:56):
Now, gentlemen, gentlemen, canI tell you something here real
quick?
You want to see some fireworksgo off?
Say that.
Say that to a woman.
Okay, it went off and there wasyelling and fighting and all
this.
Anyways, we de-board the plane.
She's embarrassed, she feelsdejected.
I see that she looks sad and Igo over and talk to her and I
told her I said hey, miss, doyou mind if I just buy you a cup
(02:19):
of coffee?
She looked at me.
She looked confused, right,because I'm sure every man
that's ever talked to her haswanted something from her.
And I said no, look, I knowthis is kind of weird.
I get coffee when I'm prettybummed out or sad or going
through difficult times, and Ijust go for a walk and pray.
And she kind of looked at mereally confused and hesitantly,
said, okay, we talked for like30 minutes 40 minutes probably.
(02:42):
Come to find out she was raisedin a Christian home, left home,
ran away, did her thing.
Now she flies to Vegas, worksat certain clubs to make money
on the weekends and it comesback home.
And she was pretty sad and shefelt embarrassed.
I told her look, there's noshame around me because you have
no idea where I've been.
Okay, I'm a prodigal son.
I left my faith.
I knew exactly what I was doingand it went terrible.
(03:06):
Okay, before she left, I openedmy phone to the Bible app and
this is the verse that I read toher.
I said hey, I'm just going tojust share with you a quick
verse.
I was like hey, I'm not likethat person that says turn or
burn.
Okay, that's not me.
You know, if you don't believethe Lord right now, I've read
the Bible.
You know it's not going to workout.
I just wanted to give hersomething to leave with and I
said you know the verse thatsomebody showed me when I was
(03:26):
coming back to my faith a fewyears ago.
And this is it.
It's Matthew 11, 28.
Come to me, all who labor andare heavy laden, I will give you
rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart and you will findrest for your souls.
My yoke is easy.
My burden is light.
(03:48):
I never saw her again.
After that, fast forward aboutJanuary this year, I'm stressed
out, trying to get this wholeevent going.
I want to do something for ourcommunity.
I get a message on Instagramand it's from her.
I was shocked.
She found me because thepodcast that I have with my good
friend, jordan Jimiola.
Somebody recommended it to herand said hey, there's this guy
(04:08):
on there that's a firefighterand he's like a Christian now
and she became a Christian.
She said she sent me thismessage and said hey, when you
read that verse to me, that wasthe first time in my life I felt
hope.
First time eight years.
She said she stopped going toVegas working in those clubs.
She made amends with her family.
She's back in college.
(04:29):
She tried to make it heretonight but she works night
shifts to try and make money soshe can go to college.
No-transcript.
Hope is an amazing thing and itcan take you through some of the
darkest times of your life.
Now, life can be interesting.
At one moment you could behaving this mountaintop
(04:50):
experience, the joy of a newbornbaby, your wedding day, getting
the dream job.
You've worked for the promotion, big in the fire service and
police right, even the military.
The promotion, the car you'vealways wanted, and then, just
like that, things can change.
Fired from your job, you can'tmake ends meet, you didn't get
(05:12):
the promotion, leaves youquestioning life.
What's going on?
Is there any hope?
And I'm here to tell youtonight that yes, there is, and
that hope is in Jesus Christ,and that's why we're here
tonight.
I'm a first responder.
I've been a firefighter for 17years.
(05:32):
I know that's shocking becauseI probably look very young to
all of you and, if you don'tknow yet, my mother and father
are here.
My mom is African-American andmy dad is white, so I am beige.
Okay, beige, don't fade baby.
Okay, it is what it is.
It takes a long time for me tocrack.
Okay, been a firefighter for 17years, I have witnessed my
(05:53):
fellow firefighters struggle indifficult times and make
terrible decisions and I, beingone of them, I know because I
hit this very deep low in mylife a few years back, and I'm
not the only one.
(06:13):
I've talked to many firefighterswho have thought of taking
their life, and thank God.
I've talked to them a few timesand I know what that feels like
, because you can get to a placewhere you think you have the
dream job, you think you'redoing what's cool and what's
right, and you feel empty andyou have nothing.
Decisions have consequences.
(06:33):
We all know that andunfortunately the leading cause
of death in first responders nowis suicide.
I don't know if any of you knewthat.
I found that out a few yearsago and looked it up after I
started going to counseling Atmy department.
I work for a department I won'tsay their name, ocfa.
They are an interestingdepartment.
(06:56):
I love working for them.
There's great men and womenthat work there, but they have
the St Cole Counseling TeamInternational and it's free for
us.
I've been going and using it.
It's free to your family.
But I looked up these stats andI couldn't believe it, because
I remember telling my therapistI'm like man, I feel like I'm
kind of going insane here, man.
I see all this crazy stuff atwork and yet I can't even help
myself.
So it doesn't matter how greatyour life is going.
(07:22):
I don't have Jesus Christ atthe center.
What do you have?
What truly do you have?
There's a reality that I try totell a lot of people many times
because I teach at fireacademies.
I teach a college class now andI have to be very, actually
very careful what I say, becauseit's just a different time, as
(07:42):
we all know.
But I always start and tell theclass you are responsible for
your own life.
You have a beginning date andyou have an end date.
That end date I have no ideawhen it's coming.
You know when you were born.
But what you do with that dashin the middle is up to you, and
if you aren't successful in yourlife or if you don't do well,
(08:02):
you have no one to blame butyourself.
They all look their shop.
I'm like, yeah, welcome to life.
Okay, death and taxes, baby, itjust comes for all of us, okay.
But there's one thing I tellthem all the time is I've never
seen or hearse with a movingtruck driving behind it.
(08:22):
I've never seen or hearse witha big bank account being pulled
behind it in a vault.
It's a harsh reality that I tellpeople Everything, we have,
everything we do everyone.
You see, we don't live forever.
I don't know if you've thoughtabout that yet.
That was a sobering thought forme one day.
But God has a plan for you andhe had a plan for me.
(08:45):
In Jeremiah 29, 11, it says forI know the plans I have for you
declares the Lord Plans forprosperity and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
Hope, oh, it's such a beautifulthing to hold on to.
So what's your hope in?
Is your hope in technology,relationship, your Facebook or
(09:10):
Instagram followers?
I'll tell you right now.
If you have a lot of Facebookand Instagram followers, it's
like being rich in monopoly.
Okay, it means nothing.
Okay, it means nothing, andpeople care about it so much.
Is your hope in your talents?
Is your hope in your governmentor your politicians?
Don't answer that question.
(09:31):
That's rhetorical, okay,especially that one.
All right, if your hope's inthe government.
God bless you, good luck, okay.
But if you really look around,we are living in some of the
wildest times.
Bad as good, good as bad,countries are threatening
nuclear war.
You can literally identify as acat and I'm supposed to play
(09:53):
along with it.
That's crazy, right?
It's an interesting time forall of us to be alive right now.
But if your hope is in things,if your hope is in people or
institutions, I'll tell youright now you're always going to
be disappointed.
Most of the time when peopleare searching for purpose,
(10:13):
meaning and hope, what they arereally looking for is something
that transforms a person, thattransformed excuse me, it
transforms their heart and theirsoul.
Something that, even whenyou're at your greatest low and
feel like your entire world iscaving in, will give you peace
(10:34):
and will give you fulfillmentand I'll tell you tonight has
found him Jesus.
Now I've told a made mention ofmy life and that I'm a prodigal
son.
I grew up in church and there'ssome people here tonight that I
used to go to church with andgrow up with.
High school they brought theirkids it's great, I see cowies,
(10:56):
what's up?
I used to do worship.
I used to write songs.
I went to school for music.
I loved it and I just didn'tcare anymore.
I didn't want to hear anythingabout Christianity.
I didn't want to hear anythingabout church.
I didn't even want to be aroundmy own family for a time
because of what they believed.
(11:18):
I could tell you right now thatwas one of the biggest waste of
times that I ever had in myentire life.
The prodigal son story issomething that touches me so
deeply because it's me.
I lived it.
It's a tough, tough experience,the prodigal son it's in Luke
(11:40):
15, 17 through 30, 32.
But the prodigal son so, as afather has two sons, his
youngest says, hey, dad, I wantmy inheritance, I want what is
due mine.
His dad loved him enough thathe gave it to him.
He said all right, you can havewhat you want.
His son took that inheritance,traveled to a far land and
(12:03):
squandered it all of it.
He had nothing left.
It got so bad.
They had nowhere to stay, hehad nowhere to eat and all those
friends that were around on thegood times were gone.
I call those friends boomerangfriends.
Okay, I've had a few of thosein my life.
I'm going to tell you right nowif you have friends that are
only around for the good timesand don't want to help you to
(12:23):
the bad, let that boomerang flyright on by, because they ain't
your friend.
Now the story of the prodigalson.
There came a point that he hadnowhere to go and nothing to do,
so he was feeding pigs andpretty much eating with the pigs
.
That's how low his life got.
And then one day it's just likethat snap for him, like you
(12:46):
know, what in the world am I?
What did I do?
Where am I at right now?
Like, how did I get to thisplace where I'm eating with pigs
?
We pick up in chapter 17 of Luke15, it says but when he came to
himself he said how many of myfather's hired servants have
more than enough bread, but Iperish here with hunger.
(13:06):
I will arise and go to myfather and I will say to him
Father, I have sinned againstheaven and before you I am no
longer worthy to be called yourson.
Treat me as one of your hiredservants.
And this is one of my favoriteparts about this story.
He wanted to go back home.
He didn't care what his dadthought or where he put him, he
(13:28):
just wanted to be safe.
We pick up in verse 20.
And he arose and came to hisfather, but while he was still a
long way off, his father sawhim and felt compassion and ran
and embraced him and kissed him.
His dad did not care what hedid.
He saw his son.
(13:49):
It didn't matter where he hadbeen, what he had done or that
he had lost his entireinheritance.
And we go down to verse 20.
This is what his father saidand I love this For this.
My son was dead and is aliveagain.
He was lost and is found andthey began to celebrate.
His dad didn't care, he justwanted his son to come home.
(14:17):
I walked away from my faith manyyears ago and I can tell you
what.
Right now, there's nothing outthere.
I did what everyone said wassuccess right, Get the good job,
invest, own properties.
I own properties.
I invested.
Some of my investments hit big.
I got fat paychecks.
It was amazing.
(14:37):
I've been able to own the carsthat I wanted, travel wherever I
wanted to go.
I've surfed big waves.
I enjoy skydiving Everythingyou can think of I did.
And there was one day two yearsago where I was on my knees,
absolutely crying because I feltso empty and dead inside.
I was in one of the darkestplaces you could ever be.
I climbed to my bed and I wascrying so hard.
(14:59):
I was so alone.
All I could do was cry out andI just said God, please help me.
And I will tell you right now.
He hears every word and everywhisper.
That night I slept the best Ihad ever slept in about eight
(15:20):
years.
I think it was like 12 hours.
Because I woke up at like oneo'clock the next day.
I was like what a time warpthat was and I felt great.
When I woke up, I remembergoing downstairs, I made coffee
and for the first time in mychest I felt it in my body, my
heart, my soul.
I kind of felt that peace.
(15:41):
I was like this is different.
I read downloaded the Bible appI'm sure a lot of you have that
All right, the Bible app on yourphone and it gave you the verse
.
The day I downloaded the app,it popped up and it said verse
the day.
And this was the verse.
It was Romans 10, nine If youconfess with your mouth that
(16:05):
Jesus is Lord and believe inyour heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved.
That morning by myself, I gavemy life right back to him and I
said I don't want ever go back.
I don't want any of this.
I live for myself.
I live for pleasure.
I didn't care who got hurt orhow I looked to people.
(16:26):
I was going for it.
I don't want it anymore.
I remember telling him take itall away.
You can take my job, you cantake my homes, you can take
everything.
I just want peace.
After I changed my life.
I remember the podcast withJordan.
I started talking about myfaith on there a lot.
I just felt different and Iwanted people to know like, hey
(16:49):
man, like yo, this is no joke,this is real, right.
Like he changed me.
And somebody commented theysend messages right on social
media.
I'm not listening to yourpodcast anymore.
You talk about God too much.
I was like bye, I don't care.
Are you kidding me?
Like, are you going to try andhide your greatest treasure?
(17:09):
Are you going to tell everybodyabout it?
Then he asked how do you know?
God is real?
And I messaged back God's realbecause he changed a man like me
.
He gave me peace and he gave mehope.
And the time when I thoughtit's probably better that I
don't even live here on thisearth anymore.
(17:30):
I'm such a terrible person.
No one in this room is too farfrom God's love or his reach.
You're part of the greatestlove story that was ever written
and you were right at thecenter of it.
You can find hope and peace inJesus Christ, because he loves
you and he died on the cross foryou and he paid your debt.
(17:51):
John 316.
I heard this verse grown upbecause my parents have me in
private schools my whole life.
Trust me, I'm.
You want to talk about knowingthe Bible, like all the stores?
I know I'm all okay straight up.
I heard John 316 a milliontimes.
Right, parents have me a churchin the morning on Sundays, and
then church and evening onSundays, and then I went to
youth group on Wednesdays andevery event and every winter
camp, right, went to all of it.
I heard John 316 a milliontimes and I'll tell you what.
(18:13):
I can't get enough of it.
Now I want to hear it every day, because that meaning of John
316 means more to me thananything, for God so loved the
world that he gave his onlybegotten son that whoever
believes in him will not die buthave everlasting life.
He saved my life.
When you surrender your life toJesus, he forgives your past,
(18:41):
gives you peace in the presentand hope for the future.
You might say, tim, how can aperson like me be loved by God?
Look where I've been, look whatI've done.
Okay, good for you.
Guess what?
Everybody in this room has apast.
Not one person in here isperfect.
(19:04):
And there was one thing mysister told me I was like.
You know I'm struggling withwanting to do this night I don't
feel good enough, like sis,look where I've been.
Oh, I love my sister because wehave the she's my best friend
man.
We have some of the greatestconversations Of conversations,
and she said, tim, even yourbest day is his filthy rags.
Go for it.
(19:28):
The Bible is full of stories ofthe worst people making the
greatest mistakes, and God stilluse them.
You don't think, god?
You are worthy of God's loveand you can be used here on
earth by him.
I want you to think again.
Okay, joseph was abused, rahabwas a prostitute, moses had a
stutter, peter denied Jesusthree times, abraham was older,
(19:49):
noah was a drunk, jacob was acheater.
King David was a murderer andcommitted adultery.
Paul persecuted Christians, andthat's putting it lightly.
This dude was radical towardsChristians.
Okay, gideon was afraid, elijahwas depressed, samson was a
womanizer, jeremiah was young,naomi was a widow, the Samaritan
woman was with was divorced andJonah ran from God.
(20:12):
And you are and search yourname.
What are you gonna use?
All those people I mentionedare considered heroes of the
faith.
You see, god use these peopleto show us that he can make what
was once bad into somethinggood, and he trades beauty for
(20:33):
ashes.
No, you can clap, let's go.
I was pentacosal.
Growing up, I raised a pewhoppers baby.
You know I'm saying so.
I'll tell you this again youwill trade beauty for ashes.
And when you commit your lifeto God, he forgives you of your
past, gives you peace and apresent and hope For the future.
(20:53):
It's about a relationship withJesus.
It's not about religion.
If you are about religion, Idon't want any part of it.
I Could care less about yourchurch and how cool it is.
I can care less about how greatyour worship band is.
I love you guys over there, bythe way, you guys are great.
I'm not.
I'm just saying it's not aboutthose things.
It's about a personalrelationship with your creator.
(21:13):
He just wants your heart.
And once I figured it out,realized, oh, I've been doing
this all wrong.
I Been letting other thingsdictate my relationship with
Lord.
I forget this.
I'm gonna make this personal.
It changed me I.
That weight of my sin, theshame and the guilt and the
(21:34):
things I have done were lifted,and there was nothing on earth
that was gonna please me or takethat away.
John 16, 33 says I've told youthese things so that in me you
may have peace, and this isJesus talking In this world.
You have trials andtribulations, but take heart,
for I have overcome the world.
(21:54):
When you become a believer,it's not like your life just
becomes easy.
Okay, jesus was a radical right.
He was a rebel priest.
I love watching that show nowthat shows him.
Okay, some people like nitpickit and like that's not Jesus's
accent.
It's like dude, you're missingthe whole point.
Okay, like that's not.
The show is amazing.
Okay, there's not one episodethat goes by.
I'm probably not cryingwatching it.
(22:16):
When you commit your life toChrist, you're gonna have hard
times.
You're gonna have difficultthings that absolutely challenge
you.
I face it all the time.
You think I go to work justbecause I'm a fireman.
Everyone thinks it's a dreamjob that I love everybody I work
for.
There's a few OCFA chiefs andcabins in here, so I don't want
you to repeat this back at work.
Right, okay, but when I go towork and there's people I don't
like to work with, it's reallyhard to buy my time and have a
(22:39):
good attitude right, but they'remy superiors, they're my
company officers, they're mychiefs.
I know that in my faith, godtells me to respect authority,
so I'm going to.
Maybe there's things thathappen in your life that are out
of your control.
I'm gonna end on.
This story of the worship teamcan come back up.
(23:01):
I'm gonna tell you a storyabout my family, and they're
here tonight.
In 2004, my brother, luke, waskilled in a car accident.
I was 17 years old and he was18.
You want to talk about anuclear bomb going off in your
life?
That's it.
(23:21):
I remember the sheriff's comingto the door telling my father he
needed to call the SanBernardino County Coroner's
office, and it felt like allhell broke loose in our home.
I've never heard my parents cryand weep the way they did.
I look back on it now and ithumbles me because I saw how God
(23:43):
was working in our lives.
I didn't just see how God tookcare of us, but I saw my parents
, who were hurting and suffering, still choose to say God, you
are worthy.
Our son is dead, but you'restill good man.
You want to talk about toughand excuse to be upset?
(24:06):
They got it.
My family is the tightest it'sever been.
I love them all to death.
We're like any family.
We have our crazy times, wehave our good, we have our bad,
but one thing is we always showup for each other.
(24:28):
God has moved through my familyin ways I'll never explain.
He changed me and he loves you.
The day that my brother died Iwent to his desk just to look at
his stuff.
I found a 3x5 card.
We were 10 months older.
(24:50):
He was 10 months older than me.
He was in college, I was asenior.
And that 3x5 card he had rightin the middle of his desk was a
verse written in Galatians 220.
I keep that card close to meevery day.
Galatians 220 says I have beencrucified with Christ.
There's no longer I who live,but Christ who is with me.
(25:22):
The life I now live in theflesh I live by faith in the Son
of God.
He loved me.
He gave himself for me.
I keep that card so closebecause it reminds me, even when
it hurts, god's in control.
(25:43):
Thank you to everyone who cameout to the First Responders
Night of Hope, first annualevent for this year.
It was a great time.
We had a good turnout.
We can't thank you enough.
This is going to be an annualevent, so we hope to see you
(26:05):
next year.
Have a good week.
Hello everyone, this is Tim Fisher.
This week's episode is going tobe something different.
This will be the message that Ispoke about at our first annual
First Responders Night of Hope.
I hope you enjoy here.
It is Tonight's about hope andthat hope that we so look for in
(00:33):
so many things many times.
Besides, jesus is Jesus Christ.
I have a story I wanted to tellyou here real quick before we
get started.
I was coming back from Coloradolast year in September.
I'd like to help out differentorganizations and wounded
firefighters.
There's an adaptive sportscenter in Colorado.
We were there for a week.
(00:53):
I flew out there.
We came back on Sunday.
Three of my flights gotcanceled.
A three-hour trip that wassupposed to be direct turned
into about 14 hours.
I'm sorry, I know it wasmiserable, very miserable.
I get stuck in Vegas as theplane is going back to the
terminal.
I'm trying to listen in to whatthey're saying over the
(01:15):
intercom.
I'm in the middle seat.
I'm tired.
It's been 14 hours, listen tome.
Okay, I like the aisle seat.
Okay, I love the aisle seat.
Right, firefighter, I want likethe exit.
Okay, I want to get up and usethe restroom as much as I can.
I'm stuck in the middle betweentwo in humans that I do not
know.
I don't know if they're cleanor not.
(01:36):
I'm miserable, it's hot.
And the gentleman next to me,as I turn on transparency on my
headphones, says to the womanwho's dressed very interestingly
and I'll just say works at aclub because there's children
here.
And he says to her you shouldhave probably eaten your makeup
so you can look beautiful on theinside, because you look like a
two or three on the outside.
(01:56):
Now, gentlemen, gentlemen, canI tell you something here real
quick?
You want to see some fireworksgo off?
Say that.
Say that to a woman.
Okay, it went off and there wasyelling and fighting and all
this.
Anyways, we de-board the plane.
She's embarrassed, she feelsdejected.
I see that she looks sad and Igo over and talk to her and I
told her I said hey, miss, doyou mind if I just buy you a cup
(02:19):
of coffee?
She looked at me.
She looked confused, right,because I'm sure every man
that's ever talked to her haswanted something from her.
And I said no, look, I knowthis is kind of weird.
I get coffee when I'm prettybummed out or sad or going
through difficult times, and Ijust go for a walk and pray.
And she kind of looked at mereally confused and hesitantly,
said, okay, we talked for like30 minutes 40 minutes probably.
(02:42):
Come to find out she was raisedin a Christian home, left home,
ran away, did her thing.
Now she flies to Vegas, worksat certain clubs to make money
on the weekends and it comesback home.
And she was pretty sad and shefelt embarrassed.
I told her look, there's noshame around me because you have
no idea where I've been.
Okay, I'm a prodigal son.
I left my faith.
I knew exactly what I was doingand it went terrible.
(03:06):
Okay, before she left, I openedmy phone to the Bible app and
this is the verse that I read toher.
I said hey, I'm just going tojust share with you a quick
verse.
I was like hey, I'm not likethat person that says turn or
burn.
Okay, that's not me.
You know, if you don't believethe Lord right now, I've read
the Bible.
You know it's not going to workout.
I just wanted to give hersomething to leave with and I
said you know the verse thatsomebody showed me when I was
(03:26):
coming back to my faith a fewyears ago.
And this is it.
It's Matthew 11, 28.
Come to me, all who labor andare heavy laden, I will give you
rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart and you will findrest for your souls.
My yoke is easy.
My burden is light.
(03:48):
I never saw her again.
After that, fast forward aboutJanuary this year, I'm stressed
out, trying to get this wholeevent going.
I want to do something for ourcommunity.
I get a message on Instagramand it's from her.
I was shocked.
She found me because thepodcast that I have with my good
friend, jordan Jimiola.
Somebody recommended it to herand said hey, there's this guy
(04:08):
on there that's a firefighterand he's like a Christian now
and she became a Christian.
She said she sent me thismessage and said hey, when you
read that verse to me, that wasthe first time in my life I felt
hope.
First time eight years.
She said she stopped going toVegas working in those clubs.
She made amends with her family.
She's back in college.
(04:29):
She tried to make it heretonight but she works night
shifts to try and make money soshe can go to college.
No-transcript.
Hope is an amazing thing and itcan take you through some of the
darkest times of your life.
Now, life can be interesting.
At one moment you could behaving this mountaintop
(04:50):
experience, the joy of a newbornbaby, your wedding day, getting
the dream job.
You've worked for the promotion, big in the fire service and
police right, even the military.
The promotion, the car you'vealways wanted, and then, just
like that, things can change.
Fired from your job, you can'tmake ends meet, you didn't get
(05:12):
the promotion, leaves youquestioning life.
What's going on?
Is there any hope?
And I'm here to tell youtonight that yes, there is, and
that hope is in Jesus Christ,and that's why we're here
tonight.
I'm a first responder.
I've been a firefighter for 17years.
(05:32):
I know that's shocking becauseI probably look very young to
all of you and, if you don'tknow yet, my mother and father
are here.
My mom is African-American andmy dad is white, so I am beige.
Okay, beige, don't fade baby.
Okay, it is what it is.
It takes a long time for me tocrack.
Okay, been a firefighter for 17years, I have witnessed my
(05:53):
fellow firefighters struggle indifficult times and make
terrible decisions and I, beingone of them, I know because I
hit this very deep low in mylife a few years back, and I'm
not the only one.
(06:13):
I've talked to many firefighterswho have thought of taking
their life, and thank God.
I've talked to them a few timesand I know what that feels like
, because you can get to a placewhere you think you have the
dream job, you think you'redoing what's cool and what's
right, and you feel empty andyou have nothing.
Decisions have consequences.
(06:33):
We all know that andunfortunately the leading cause
of death in first responders nowis suicide.
I don't know if any of you knewthat.
I found that out a few yearsago and looked it up after I
started going to counseling Atmy department.
I work for a department I won'tsay their name, ocfa.
They are an interestingdepartment.
(06:56):
I love working for them.
There's great men and womenthat work there, but they have
the St Cole Counseling TeamInternational and it's free for
us.
I've been going and using it.
It's free to your family.
But I looked up these stats andI couldn't believe it, because
I remember telling my therapistI'm like man, I feel like I'm
kind of going insane here, man.
I see all this crazy stuff atwork and yet I can't even help
myself.
So it doesn't matter how greatyour life is going.
(07:22):
I don't have Jesus Christ atthe center.
What do you have?
What truly do you have?
There's a reality that I try totell a lot of people many times
because I teach at fireacademies.
I teach a college class now andI have to be very, actually
very careful what I say, becauseit's just a different time, as
(07:42):
we all know.
But I always start and tell theclass you are responsible for
your own life.
You have a beginning date andyou have an end date.
That end date I have no ideawhen it's coming.
You know when you were born.
But what you do with that dashin the middle is up to you, and
if you aren't successful in yourlife or if you don't do well,
(08:02):
you have no one to blame butyourself.
They all look their shop.
I'm like, yeah, welcome to life.
Okay, death and taxes, baby, itjust comes for all of us, okay.
But there's one thing I tellthem all the time is I've never
seen or hearse with a movingtruck driving behind it.
(08:22):
I've never seen or hearse witha big bank account being pulled
behind it in a vault.
It's a harsh reality that I tellpeople Everything, we have,
everything we do everyone.
You see, we don't live forever.
I don't know if you've thoughtabout that yet.
That was a sobering thought forme one day.
But God has a plan for you andhe had a plan for me.
(08:45):
In Jeremiah 29, 11, it says forI know the plans I have for you
declares the Lord Plans forprosperity and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
Hope, oh, it's such a beautifulthing to hold on to.
So what's your hope in?
Is your hope in technology,relationship, your Facebook or
(09:10):
Instagram followers?
I'll tell you right now.
If you have a lot of Facebookand Instagram followers, it's
like being rich in monopoly.
Okay, it means nothing.
Okay, it means nothing, andpeople care about it so much.
Is your hope in your talents?
Is your hope in your governmentor your politicians?
Don't answer that question.
(09:31):
That's rhetorical, okay,especially that one.
All right, if your hope's inthe government.
God bless you, good luck, okay.
But if you really look around,we are living in some of the
wildest times.
Bad as good, good as bad,countries are threatening
nuclear war.
You can literally identify as acat and I'm supposed to play
(09:53):
along with it.
That's crazy, right?
It's an interesting time forall of us to be alive right now.
But if your hope is in things,if your hope is in people or
institutions, I'll tell youright now you're always going to
be disappointed.
Most of the time when peopleare searching for purpose,
(10:13):
meaning and hope, what they arereally looking for is something
that transforms a person, thattransformed excuse me, it
transforms their heart and theirsoul.
Something that, even whenyou're at your greatest low and
feel like your entire world iscaving in, will give you peace
(10:34):
and will give you fulfillmentand I'll tell you tonight has
found him Jesus.
Now I've told a made mention ofmy life and that I'm a prodigal
son.
I grew up in church and there'ssome people here tonight that I
used to go to church with andgrow up with.
High school they brought theirkids it's great, I see cowies,
(10:56):
what's up?
I used to do worship.
I used to write songs.
I went to school for music.
I loved it and I just didn'tcare anymore.
I didn't want to hear anythingabout Christianity.
I didn't want to hear anythingabout church.
I didn't even want to be aroundmy own family for a time
because of what they believed.
(11:18):
I could tell you right now thatwas one of the biggest waste of
times that I ever had in myentire life.
The prodigal son story issomething that touches me so
deeply because it's me.
I lived it.
It's a tough, tough experience,the prodigal son it's in Luke
(11:40):
15, 17 through 30, 32.
But the prodigal son so, as afather has two sons, his
youngest says, hey, dad, I wantmy inheritance, I want what is
due mine.
His dad loved him enough thathe gave it to him.
He said all right, you can havewhat you want.
His son took that inheritance,traveled to a far land and
(12:03):
squandered it all of it.
He had nothing left.
It got so bad.
They had nowhere to stay, hehad nowhere to eat and all those
friends that were around on thegood times were gone.
I call those friends boomerangfriends.
Okay, I've had a few of thosein my life.
I'm going to tell you right nowif you have friends that are
only around for the good timesand don't want to help you to
(12:23):
the bad, let that boomerang flyright on by, because they ain't
your friend.
Now the story of the prodigalson.
There came a point that he hadnowhere to go and nothing to do,
so he was feeding pigs andpretty much eating with the pigs
.
That's how low his life got.
And then one day it's just likethat snap for him, like you
(12:46):
know, what in the world am I?
What did I do?
Where am I at right now?
Like, how did I get to thisplace where I'm eating with pigs
?
We pick up in chapter 17 of Luke15, it says but when he came to
himself he said how many of myfather's hired servants have
more than enough bread, but Iperish here with hunger.
(13:06):
I will arise and go to myfather and I will say to him
Father, I have sinned againstheaven and before you I am no
longer worthy to be called yourson.
Treat me as one of your hiredservants.
And this is one of my favoriteparts about this story.
He wanted to go back home.
He didn't care what his dadthought or where he put him, he
(13:28):
just wanted to be safe.
We pick up in verse 20.
And he arose and came to hisfather, but while he was still a
long way off, his father sawhim and felt compassion and ran
and embraced him and kissed him.
His dad did not care what hedid.
He saw his son.
(13:49):
It didn't matter where he hadbeen, what he had done or that
he had lost his entireinheritance.
And we go down to verse 20.
This is what his father saidand I love this For this.
My son was dead and is aliveagain.
He was lost and is found andthey began to celebrate.
His dad didn't care, he justwanted his son to come home.
(14:17):
I walked away from my faith manyyears ago and I can tell you
what.
Right now, there's nothing outthere.
I did what everyone said wassuccess right, Get the good job,
invest, own properties.
I own properties.
I invested.
Some of my investments hit big.
I got fat paychecks.
It was amazing.
(14:37):
I've been able to own the carsthat I wanted, travel wherever I
wanted to go.
I've surfed big waves.
I enjoy skydiving Everythingyou can think of I did.
And there was one day two yearsago where I was on my knees,
absolutely crying because I feltso empty and dead inside.
I was in one of the darkestplaces you could ever be.
I climbed to my bed and I wascrying so hard.
(14:59):
I was so alone.
All I could do was cry out andI just said God, please help me.
And I will tell you right now.
He hears every word and everywhisper.
That night I slept the best Ihad ever slept in about eight
(15:20):
years.
I think it was like 12 hours.
Because I woke up at like oneo'clock the next day.
I was like what a time warpthat was and I felt great.
When I woke up, I remembergoing downstairs, I made coffee
and for the first time in mychest I felt it in my body, my
heart, my soul.
I kind of felt that peace.
(15:41):
I was like this is different.
I read downloaded the Bible appI'm sure a lot of you have that
All right, the Bible app on yourphone and it gave you the verse
.
The day I downloaded the app,it popped up and it said verse
the day.
And this was the verse.
It was Romans 10, nine If youconfess with your mouth that
(16:05):
Jesus is Lord and believe inyour heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved.
That morning by myself, I gavemy life right back to him and I
said I don't want ever go back.
I don't want any of this.
I live for myself.
I live for pleasure.
I didn't care who got hurt orhow I looked to people.
(16:26):
I was going for it.
I don't want it anymore.
I remember telling him take itall away.
You can take my job, you cantake my homes, you can take
everything.
I just want peace.
After I changed my life.
I remember the podcast withJordan.
I started talking about myfaith on there a lot.
I just felt different and Iwanted people to know like, hey
(16:49):
man, like yo, this is no joke,this is real, right.
Like he changed me.
And somebody commented theysend messages right on social
media.
I'm not listening to yourpodcast anymore.
You talk about God too much.
I was like bye, I don't care.
Are you kidding me?
Like, are you going to try andhide your greatest treasure?
(17:09):
Are you going to tell everybodyabout it?
Then he asked how do you know?
God is real?
And I messaged back God's realbecause he changed a man like me
.
He gave me peace and he gave mehope.
And the time when I thoughtit's probably better that I
don't even live here on thisearth anymore.
(17:30):
I'm such a terrible person.
No one in this room is too farfrom God's love or his reach.
You're part of the greatestlove story that was ever written
and you were right at thecenter of it.
You can find hope and peace inJesus Christ, because he loves
you and he died on the cross foryou and he paid your debt.
(17:51):
John 316.
I heard this verse grown upbecause my parents have me in
private schools my whole life.
Trust me, I'm.
You want to talk about knowingthe Bible, like all the stores?
I know I'm all okay straight up.
I heard John 316 a milliontimes.
Right, parents have me a churchin the morning on Sundays, and
then church and evening onSundays, and then I went to
youth group on Wednesdays andevery event and every winter
camp, right, went to all of it.
I heard John 316 a milliontimes and I'll tell you what.
(18:13):
I can't get enough of it.
Now I want to hear it every day, because that meaning of John
316 means more to me thananything, for God so loved the
world that he gave his onlybegotten son that whoever
believes in him will not die buthave everlasting life.
He saved my life.
When you surrender your life toJesus, he forgives your past,
(18:41):
gives you peace in the presentand hope for the future.
You might say, tim, how can aperson like me be loved by God?
Look where I've been, look whatI've done.
Okay, good for you.
Guess what?
Everybody in this room has apast.
Not one person in here isperfect.
(19:04):
And there was one thing mysister told me I was like.
You know I'm struggling withwanting to do this night I don't
feel good enough, like sis,look where I've been.
Oh, I love my sister because wehave the she's my best friend
man.
We have some of the greatestconversations Of conversations,
and she said, tim, even yourbest day is his filthy rags.
Go for it.
(19:28):
The Bible is full of stories ofthe worst people making the
greatest mistakes, and God stilluse them.
You don't think, god?
You are worthy of God's loveand you can be used here on
earth by him.
I want you to think again.
Okay, joseph was abused, rahabwas a prostitute, moses had a
stutter, peter denied Jesusthree times, abraham was older,
(19:49):
noah was a drunk, jacob was acheater.
King David was a murderer andcommitted adultery.
Paul persecuted Christians, andthat's putting it lightly.
This dude was radical towardsChristians.
Okay, gideon was afraid, elijahwas depressed, samson was a
womanizer, jeremiah was young,naomi was a widow, the Samaritan
woman was with was divorced andJonah ran from God.
(20:12):
And you are and search yourname.
What are you gonna use?
All those people I mentionedare considered heroes of the
faith.
You see, god use these peopleto show us that he can make what
was once bad into somethinggood, and he trades beauty for
(20:33):
ashes.
No, you can clap, let's go.
I was pentacosal.
Growing up, I raised a pewhoppers baby.
You know I'm saying so.
I'll tell you this again youwill trade beauty for ashes.
And when you commit your lifeto God, he forgives you of your
past, gives you peace and apresent and hope For the future.
(20:53):
It's about a relationship withJesus.
It's not about religion.
If you are about religion, Idon't want any part of it.
I Could care less about yourchurch and how cool it is.
I can care less about how greatyour worship band is.
I love you guys over there, bythe way, you guys are great.
I'm not.
I'm just saying it's not aboutthose things.
It's about a personalrelationship with your creator.
(21:13):
He just wants your heart.
And once I figured it out,realized, oh, I've been doing
this all wrong.
I Been letting other thingsdictate my relationship with
Lord.
I forget this.
I'm gonna make this personal.
It changed me I.
That weight of my sin, theshame and the guilt and the
(21:34):
things I have done were lifted,and there was nothing on earth
that was gonna please me or takethat away.
John 16, 33 says I've told youthese things so that in me you
may have peace, and this isJesus talking In this world.
You have trials andtribulations, but take heart,
for I have overcome the world.
(21:54):
When you become a believer,it's not like your life just
becomes easy.
Okay, jesus was a radical right.
He was a rebel priest.
I love watching that show nowthat shows him.
Okay, some people like nitpickit and like that's not Jesus's
accent.
It's like dude, you're missingthe whole point.
Okay, like that's not.
The show is amazing.
Okay, there's not one episodethat goes by.
I'm probably not cryingwatching it.
(22:16):
When you commit your life toChrist, you're gonna have hard
times.
You're gonna have difficultthings that absolutely challenge
you.
I face it all the time.
You think I go to work justbecause I'm a fireman.
Everyone thinks it's a dreamjob that I love everybody I work
for.
There's a few OCFA chiefs andcabins in here, so I don't want
you to repeat this back at work.
Right, okay, but when I go towork and there's people I don't
like to work with, it's reallyhard to buy my time and have a
(22:39):
good attitude right, but they'remy superiors, they're my
company officers, they're mychiefs.
I know that in my faith, godtells me to respect authority,
so I'm going to.
Maybe there's things thathappen in your life that are out
of your control.
I'm gonna end on.
This story of the worship teamcan come back up.
(23:01):
I'm gonna tell you a storyabout my family, and they're
here tonight.
In 2004, my brother, luke, waskilled in a car accident.
I was 17 years old and he was18.
You want to talk about anuclear bomb going off in your
life?
That's it.
(23:21):
I remember the sheriff's comingto the door telling my father he
needed to call the SanBernardino County Coroner's
office, and it felt like allhell broke loose in our home.
I've never heard my parents cryand weep the way they did.
I look back on it now and ithumbles me because I saw how God
(23:43):
was working in our lives.
I didn't just see how God tookcare of us, but I saw my parents
, who were hurting and suffering, still choose to say God, you
are worthy.
Our son is dead, but you'restill good man.
You want to talk about toughand excuse to be upset?
(24:06):
They got it.
My family is the tightest it'sever been.
I love them all to death.
We're like any family.
We have our crazy times, wehave our good, we have our bad,
but one thing is we always showup for each other.
(24:28):
God has moved through my familyin ways I'll never explain.
He changed me and he loves you.
The day that my brother died Iwent to his desk just to look at
his stuff.
I found a 3x5 card.
We were 10 months older.
(24:50):
He was 10 months older than me.
He was in college, I was asenior.
And that 3x5 card he had rightin the middle of his desk was a
verse written in Galatians 220.
I keep that card close to meevery day.
Galatians 220 says I have beencrucified with Christ.
There's no longer I who live,but Christ who is with me.
(25:22):
The life I now live in theflesh I live by faith in the Son
of God.
He loved me.
He gave himself for me.
I keep that card so closebecause it reminds me, even when
it hurts, god's in control.
(25:43):
Thank you to everyone who cameout to the First Responders
Night of Hope, first annualevent for this year.
It was a great time.
We had a good turnout.
We can't thank you enough.
This is going to be an annualevent, so we hope to see you
(26:05):
next year.
Have a good week.
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