This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Truth Talk Live. All right, let's talk. A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing.
I'll tell you what: where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Your mind. And now, here is today's Truth Talk Live host. Welcome to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberg.
It's Wednesday. I am glad to be with you today. Eight six six thirty four Truth. Eight six six. Three, four, eight, seventy-eight, eighty-four.
If you want to be a part of the program, and also Happy Veterans Day, it is a a special day. I want to take a moment. I've got a son, a father, brother. Let's see, one, two, at least two nephews, two nephews-in-law, two nieces. All and some of still active duty, so they haven't hung up the uniform.
Memorial Day is for those who never took off the uniform. Veterans Day is for those who hung up the uniform, and people who served faithfully. And so we're very, very great grateful for you all, and grateful for all the ones in my, my family. I miss my father. And the military was extremely important to him.
He was a naval officer, a captain. Ronald Reagan, in Veterans Day Proclamation, wrote in nineteen eighty five: "These fine men and women have not sought glory for themselves, but peace and freedom for all." That's um um as that's And Abraham Lincoln. Here's another one from him: to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan. That was Lincoln in his second inaugural address. And here's another one from Reagan.
Reagan had a lot of great patriotic quotes. Peace fails when we forget what we stand for. May we never do so in this country. Thank you all for those of you who have worn the uniform and hung it up, and I am deeply grateful. I spent a lot of time right after the war in Afghanistan and Iraq started in 2003.
Gracie and I were making regular trips to Walter Reed. Chaplains up there asked us to come up and. Sing and play for different events, and for Gracie to spend time with wounded soldiers. Got to spend time with some young men and women who had devastating wounds, and they they were particularly moved for Gracie to come up because this is the first time women were coming back from the battlefield in large numbers as amputees. And Gracie Gracie doesn't wear her legs with cosmetic covering.
And she she's been doing that since the '90s, long before it was kind of fashionable. And and I'll never forget when the first amputation, she wanted to have a nicely dressed leg that was made out with you know flesh colored costumes and all that stuff. And but when she got to the second one, she was wearing both of them. And then she was at her sister's house in Florida, and she wanted to go swimming and and Get into the water.
So she called her process. She said, "Hey, can I, can I get in the water with these?" He says, "No, you'll ruin them, and they'll they'll blow up like balloons and that kind of thing, you know, because of the way it's the foam that they do with it." And so I look back, and I I was out at the dock with the boys, and we were swimming and so forth. And then I look back, and she's got a knife out, and she's cutting the the Covering off of her legs, it looked like you know Schwarzenegger in the Terminator when he pulled that skin down off of his arm. It was pretty freaky looking, and you know I am thinking, baby, she then she walked to the dock and dove in, and she's never was doing this. And when she stood up in front of these women at Walter Reed.
It it was such a a moment, as they saw Gracie, a you know a mom, beautiful, successful, and she had you know robot legs, and just like many of these young men and women were wearing, particularly these women, and it was it was a wonderful experience going back and forth there many many times. I will tell you one story here in this opening block. We were in the physical therapy room. She sang for the groundbreaking ceremony of the amputee training center there at Walter Reed, and we were at the. We did a prayer breakfast there and various things, and we were at the physical therapy room.
And she walked over to one of the tables, and there was a guy laying on a table working out with a physical therapist. He was missing one leg, and he was pretty. Sullen, and we found out later why. But Gracie went over to walk to him.
Well, he couldn't see her except from the waist up because he's laying flat on the table while the PT is working with him. And Gracie looked down and says, "How are you doing, young man?" And and he was pretty rude to her. I mean, just kind of rebuffed, rebuffed her, and and just you know snarled at her. And the physical therapist knew her and of course could see her. He could only see her from the waist up, and the the soldier, and so Gracie was standing there.
She was a little bit taken aback, and and the physical therapist said to the soldier, "You might want to listen to her." And the guy was like, "You know what the you know is she going to say to me?" Kind of thing, and and he was again pretty rude with a couple of expletives.
Well, Gracie put her hand on a. On a parallel bar that was nearby, and she propped her prosthetic foot up next to his head, and it was she's wearing a really nice shoe, by the way, I know because I bought her shoes. I used to take her leg to the shoe store. I didn't take her; I just took the leg to the shoe store and pick it out. I'd Facetime with her and say, "Hey, you like these?" Because it was a lot easier than taking her to the shoe store.
Yeah, I got a lot of looks. Who cares?
So she's she's sitting there and she puts that foot next that guy's face. I mean, right next to his head, and he turns and he sees his prosthetic foot in that beautiful shoe, and then he and she looked at him square in the eye and she said, "You're not the only amputee in here, big boy." And then he looked over and he saw that she was balancing on one. Prosthetic leg, while showing him the other one. And the soldier in him manned up at that point, really did, and and he talked to her, and they spent some time. He had been hurt in in friendly fire.
I mean, basically, he lost his leg because his own team hit him. It was an accident. It happens in battle, but it it happened, and. He was pretty bitter. He couldn't even really boast in his wounds.
How'd you get hurt?
Well, my own team shot me, kind of thing. It was it was pretty rough experience for him. But she spent a lot of time with him. We talked with him. They were able to form a real bond there that day.
I'll never forget that. Though you're not the only amputee in here, big guy. But I'll leave you with this on this opening block, and then we'll get into more stuff for today here. How many of you all been hurt by friendly fire? How many of you know what it's like to take a hit from somebody you're supposed to be able to count on?
Maybe it was inadvertent, but chances are the kind of friendly fire you're probably feeling was not on the battlefield, but it could have been in in marriage, it could have been at church, it could have been in in family. And it was done either with carelessness, thoughtlessness, or even intent. And it's hard to process that kind of wound, isn't it? It's a very difficult thing to do.
Some of us are guilty of causing friendly fire, that we hurt the very people who were counting on us not to. And we have to deal with that as well. Before we go to the commercial, let me just tell you about the ultimate. Recipient of friendly fire. That's our Savior.
And and Isaiah says it pleased God to do this to him, to bruise him like this. It pleased him so that he could bear that wrath for us, so we didn't have to. That's a hard thing to wrap your mind around, isn't it? But it's the truth. That's exactly what happened.
And Jesus withstood that wrath; He bore that He who knew no sin became sin in friendly fire for us, so that we could be spared the eternal wrath of God.
Something to think about, isn't it? I mean, when you when you when you really ponder the reality of the gospel, it's almost overpowering. Is that He withstood that?
So when I think of friendly fire, I think of Gracie with that soldier, and then ultimately it turns my eyes to the one who took the friendly fire for us. That, my friends, is Truth Talk Live. Eight six six thirty four Truth. We'll be right back. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com.
Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberg. Glad to be with you. If you want to be a part of the program, eight six six thirty four truth eight six six three four eight seventy eight eighty four. If you want to weigh in on.
Anything, but we've been talking about veterans today, and if you're a veteran, you certainly we'd love to talk with you and give you our thanks and appreciation. Got a couple more things I'd like to read to you as well. That it's here's one that you may recognize, Alfred Tennyson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, when gain Excuse me. When can their glory fade? Oh, the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made. Honor the light brigade, noble six hundred. There's so many different wonderful poems about soldiers and the way they have approached battle and served country and stood fast against brutal realities. Edgar Guest wrote, "What is, it through the battle smoke, the valiant soldier sees, the little garden far away, the budding apple trees, the little patch of ground back there, the children at their play, perhaps a tiny mound behind the simple church of gray, the golden thread of courage isn't linked to castle dome, but to the spot, where it be the humble spot, called, home." And you think about how many veterans thought about home while they were far away on the battlefield.
I've got a nephew now that is getting ready to be deployed again overseas, and his family now is going. They're going to a post over in the Far East, and you know it's these these are tough things that families have to endure. And these people who have served faithfully in our country, and and I'm very grateful for all of you. I am again. I grew up in a military home, and it was a big part of our life.
And we also, Dad told me this many years ago when we started seeing soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We We saved a lot of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have what they call the golden hour, when a when a soldier is wounded, and they have x amount of time to be able to get to that soldier and to be able to dress those wounds and save that person's life. But we may be saving their life to a lifetime of difficulties and challenges. A lot of those soldiers that we have saved in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Vietnam would have been just mowed down.
And it's to our nation's credit and medical science that we've been able to save those lives. But we have a responsibility because a lot of these guys are going to show up 30 years down the road, dealing with neurological problems from traumatic brain injuries and things like that. We've seen this with Vietnam vets, that they they come back, they try to.
Some some of you are too young for that. But, they come back and they try to integrate into society, and they try to do these things. But the the wounds and the trauma, of war, sometimes take a long time to show up, and we have a real responsibility, as a nation, to anybody who has put on the uniform to look after them and care for them. In our churches, in our communities, in our hospitals at the VA, and so one of the things I would encourage each of you to do is pay attention, pay attention to veteran services in your area, to make sure that VA hospitals and so forth are being properly shepherded. But we we that it can get away from us pretty quick.
I mean, there is a lot of cynicism on some of these things, and we we ebb and flow, and sometimes we overcorrect. We get real enthusiastic, we just go hog wild on some things. But there is we we need to just be consistent that we're going to provide the best possible care, both not only physically but also emotionally. And and if you are hiring veterans in your company, then you know the value of that. And and I um.
I cannot stress enough to us as a nation we have such a responsibility for this. We don't have a conscripted military, and we haven't had one since Vietnam. We have people who volunteer, and they show up, and we have leaders that sometimes they they reward. Patriotism and things such as that, and others, exploit it, and they exploit our military for whatever benefits, or they treat them poorly, or they are willing to make terrible decisions at leadership that military have to pay the price for. And so we we just have a stewardship responsibility.
God has a lengthy history in throughout Scripture of of dealing with military and fighting men and women. And God remembers these things; He never forgets. And I'll and I'll prove it to you. I'll I'll prove it to you in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew. You get all these.
You know, how many of you all spent time reading the genealogy of Jesus? All the begets. He begat this, and begat this, and and you go in there and you you look through this thing, and and people skip through it. Because it does kind of get a little mind numbing, in in it's but you're going through all these things, and then all of a sudden you see this thing about a Solomon, and it says in in Matthew that he was the son of David by Bathsheba, who was Uriah's wife.
Now Uriah died in service; he died in combat. Because David's wicked actions, he was not even Jewish. He was the Uriah, the Hittite. And this is, by the way, this is Matthew one six, and David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.
So even in the Messiah's genealogy, God remembered a soldier that was not even Jewish, but was a faithful soldier, and who had been wronged. Wronged horrifically, murdered, his wife was you know taken from him, and and and David committed this wickedness with her, and then he killed Uriah. And God put Uriah's name in the most important genealogy ever made. What does that tell you about our God? He doesn't forget.
And he sees men and women who are are faithful in service. And he sees them in those quiet moments when they are struggling. And I've I've talked to a lot of family members who have service men and women coming home and dealing with devastating wounds emotionally and physically. You know, there are wives who are waking up and their husbands have a loaded .45. This is this is out there, drinking, drugs, things to cope with what has happened.
Some of the things that they have had to see and endure. Our pastor out here for a long time carried quite a bit of shrapnel in his body, had a couple of bronze stars and purple hearts and so forth. And every now and then he would talk to me privately about some of the things in Vietnam. That he couldn't share with a lot of people, that still affected him. Can we minister to these people as believers?
Absolutely. Do we know how?
Some of us do.
Some of us don't. But there are plenty of resources out there to help read us into that and bring us up to speed if we don't. Do we have a responsibility? Yes, we do. Not only as as American citizens, and a grateful nation.
But we have a responsibility as believers. These are people who were willing to put on a uniform, and train for combat, and put themselves between us and the enemy, whatever enemy. Even if they didn't know who the enemy was at the time, they were willing to put themselves between us and the enemy. When my son stepped up to serve, and they asked him why, this is on essay road at West Point. And he said, "I don't want to.
I don't hate what's in front of me. I just love what's behind me. Don't hate what's in front of me. I just love what's behind me. That says a lot, right there, about the United States military.
So, to all you veterans, thank you, thank you for what you do, and thank you." For those of you who are listening right now, who are in relationship with veterans, family members, so forth, thank you too as well. Eight six six thirty four Truth. This is Peter Rosenberg. We'll be right back. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com.
Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberg. Glad to be with you. If you want to be a part of the program, eight six six three four truth eight six six three four eight seventy eight eighty four, and we would. Love to talk with you about that.
I want to switch gears just a hair, if you don't mind, and want to tell you something. Gracie told me the other day, and I, I hadn't been able to quite shake this, and I'm still kind of processing it out, if you will. But it, it really, I don't know, it may resonate with you. This was years and years and years ago, more than thirty five years ago, and she went to a women's Bible study, and it was, you know, it was okay. And you know it was you know wasn't really earth shattering what was going on around.
Then they went around to prayer request and and they were going to go around the room and just pray. And one of the one of the ladies said, and she was a little bit older than Gracie. Gracie was twenty five at the time, and this lady was probably in her very early thirties or so. And she said, "Let Gracie go first." Well, Gracie was trying to make the decision at that point to give permission to her surgeon to take her right leg off. They had been struggling with it for a long time, and they'd done everything they could to to do it and to fix it.
And it couldn't be. And the surgeon said, "Look, there's nothing else we can do. When it gets to that point, you let me know, and we'll go to the next step." So Gracie was Gracie's call for both legs to do this. It was Gracie's call, but this was her first. She was 25 years old, had a young toddler, and and she is wrestling with this decision.
And, you know, he would do the surgery, but she had to consent, and. She was at this Bible study, and then she blurted this out. This is what I'm I'm wrestling with right now. Then, you know, of course, it just changed the mood of the of the of the room.
Well, they they got back to the lady who had let her go first, and she felt somewhat. Embarrassed because she was going to pray for guidance on decorating her home and fabrics and all that kind of stuff, and it was it was just kind of an awkward moment. She felt awkward, but Gracie felt awkward. One one woman was embarrassed that her concern was so small, and the other was embarrassed that her concern took up so much room. And they they were main friends, but but Gracie never felt going back.
She never felt like it was okay to go back to that Bible study. She felt like her stuff was, you know, it just took up too much room in the in the group. And you know, have you ever been in a situation like that? Where do you, how do you take the conversation from there in a in a Bible study like that when when you got something that is so heavy, but then you had somebody that was a little bit light? But how do you how do you wrap your mind around?
Both of those, and. You know, so it was one of those things where they struggled with it. Gracie, Gracie, held on to that for a very long time, and I was throwing that out to you guys. I think, well, what do you think about that? Do you have a situation where you go around a Bible study, and and we're talking about trivial things, or we're talking about smaller things, we're talking about lighter things, but then all of a sudden somebody's got something really, really, really, really heavy.
Does it diminish the person with the lighter thing? Does it diminish the the person with the the I mean, does it? How do How do you reconcile those two things? How do you do that? How do we do that and minister to both without feeling like we've somehow elevated one over the other or put down you know one that kind of thing?
You know, think about that woman who wanted to to decorate, and she just wanted prayer requests and fabric selection.
Well, that's I mean you know who's to say that's not legitimate? You know that's not that's that's not the point. Is to say that it's just, you know, how do you, how do you minister in that situation? You ever struggle with that? After forty years as Gracie's caregiving husband, I wonder how to participate in a men's marriage study.
I mean, there are a lot of marriage groups, men's marriage groups, and men's things going around.
Well, how do I go? How do I? Go without overwhelming discussion. I mean, how many guys have been caring for their wife with severe disabilities for forty years? How do I remain teachable when some of the advice needs a lot of thought before it's applied to our circumstances?
You know, a friend once told me you can't expect people to be where you are, and I understand. I told him, but you can't expect me to be where other people are. And there's truth in both statements, and there's also a lot of work. For me to do in both, and and and my experience doesn't exempt me from from listening, it doesn't exempt me from patience, it doesn't exempt me from humility. But people with extraordinary burdens shouldn't have to make them sound ordinary to participate.
You follow me? Galatians 6:2 instructs us to bear one another's burdens, and that requires learning what someone carries. Romans twelve fifteen calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, and a group may need to do both in in one evening.
Sometimes we we'll reach for a familiar Christian expression before understanding someone's distress. I've been doing a series on my caregiver show that airs on this network, and I'm talking about have you considered the implications. Things that people just say, we just pop off, you know. God's still in control.
Well, yes, He is.
Now, what are the implications of that when you're facing your amputating your leg? Is that what you tell somebody when they're going into surgery to have their leg amputated? Is that what you tell somebody in the receiving line at their child's funeral? God's still in control.
Is that is that is that the way you do it? You follow me? We sometimes say these things without really thinking through it, and and then because and then when we we we see somebody in in that level of heaviness, we want to kind of wrap around it really quick and hurry back to the lesson, if you will, or or not stay with the difficult conversation because it is painful to go into someone's suffering. Do we know how to pray specifically? Do we admit that we don't know what to say?
We can ask what help would be useful. We could follow through. You know, if you are going to have a Bible study at your house, have you thought about that? Do how many of you all host a Bible study at your house, a small group or something like that? Could could somebody with a wheelchair get into the house?
Could they use the bathroom? You know, Gracie had something to contribute to this, and and she can certainly listen and laugh and ask questions and encourage others. She also loves, you know, colors, fabrics, and decorating like that other lady. In fact, I recently asked her about a lampshade. I said, "Why that color?
Why that particular bulb that you put in there? Tell me what that means to you, because you're pretty particular on the way you design it." And she explained. How the the combination of the colors and the the bulb and everything projected the warmth into the room and it helped settle her heart, and and she lives with pain all the time.
So specific lights and colors, and and fabrics really do help make her surroundings restful. Forty years of marriage, I'm still learning about my wife through a lampshade. But this woman who wanted a prayer request to help her pick out better fabrics to decorate her home—you know, she couldn't resolve Gracie's amputation decision. But it could have given them something to enjoy together while she faced it, even amidst suffering. They could, they could, they could fellowship together on that.
You know, we study scripture. What is the purpose of studying scripture? What is the purpose of that?
Well, it's to know, and help others know God. And think about this in the context of that Bible study with those two women. One of them's dealing with making an amputation; the other was picking out fabrics and wants help with that for the Lord. But think of the care that God took, specifying fabrics, colors, and the craftsmanship for the tabernacle, where He would dwell among His people. The same people he also knew the cries and knew their suffering, and he sent his son to dwell among us and bear those sins.
I talked about this just in the last block, bringing us to God. And the tabernacle pointed to this Savior who came into our suffering, and as we learn about him, we could grow in caring for both the woman choosing drapes and fabrics and the woman facing an amputation, and. You see how we can do that because it always comes back to Christ, without diminishing the woman with the pharaohs. We recognize that that is that is important to God. To glorify God, that is important to Him, and so is the suffering of His people.
And sometimes people say to Gracie and me, they say, "You know what?
Well, they're hesitant to share their troubles with us. My stuff's nothing compared to yours." And here's what what Gracie and I have learned to say to that, to redirect that. Look, if we if Gracie and I have found God faithful in our circumstances, can that give you a little bit more courage to trust Him with yours? You're tracking with me on that. Yet, encouraging others, you know that doesn't remove our need for fellowship.
I'm not here just to encourage others. I need to have fellowship too. And those that are carrying heavy heavy burdens can still leave room to hear others. I can still hear others' burdens. I don't have to have, you know, the biggest burdens in the room.
And Gracie certainly doesn't have to have that. And those whose lives are less overwhelming can also listen when a request changes the the atmosphere. And leaders, good leaders in Bible studies and churches. Can give serious needs appropriate attention, while still caring for others. Can we remember those kinds of things when we have our small groups?
We have church meetings that we don't keep things on surfacey, but we don't diminish those who don't have massive needs by by by just focusing only on the massive needs. That we recognize that we have a God who sees all of it. We can receive encouragement from a suffering person, and we can remember to care for that suffering person too. The next person through the door may be facing a decision we never imagined, or they may be dealing with something a little bit smaller. I remember my son.
Oldest son asked me one time. He was nine years old, and he said, "Why should I believe that God cares about my hurts when I see what He allows Mom to go through?" Let me ask you something. How would you answer that to a nine-year-old? Why should I believe that God cares about my stuff when I see what He allows Mom to go through? That's a heck of a question, and when you have a nine-year-old.
You want me to tell you before the break what I told him? You're gonna have to hold on through the break. I'll tell you when we come back. It was not—it was wisdom that did not come from me. I promise you, I've seen my work.
But these are things that I'm thinking about, and I love the story from Gracie that she she brought up to my mind because it gives us an opportunity to say, "How do we minister to one another?" We'll talk about that more. Eight six six thirty four truth. We'll be. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live.
This is Peter Rosenberg eight six six thirty four Truth eight six six three four eight seventy eight eighty four. I set you up and then made you wait through the break to hear what I told my son in the context. If you just joined the program. We we tend to look at certain things and say, you know, how does this make sense? Why would God care about my little things if I see Him allowing all this and this?
And we we all do this at some point of our life. And sometimes children can be a little bit more honest and direct to it than than most. And my son was that way. He was nine, and. He looked at me.
He says, "Why should I believe that God cares about my hurts, when I see what He allows Mom to go through?" For context, you know, her surgery count now is almost a hundred. Both of her legs are gone, and he watched her give up both legs. My youngest son was born after she'd become a single amputee, and he—he's only known her as an amputee. But Parker knew her a little bit before then. And I looked at him, his big brown eyes, and he's filled with tears, and and and I know theologians who would struggle to answer that question.
And I said to him, "Said son, I don't know why your mom has to hurt. I don't know why God doesn't change this. I don't know why this is happening. But here's what I do know." He stretched out his arms, and he gave his life for us on the cross. He bore the penalty of sin.
Something far worse saved us from something far worse than amputation and broken bodies. And I'm willing to trust him because of that. And that was enough for him. And and he hugged me, and and that was enough for him. I don't know why you go through the things you go through, as you listen to this program.
Thoreau said that all men lead lives of quiet desperation, and we started off talking about Veterans Day, and I think about how many veterans bear scars that they don't feel comfortable talking about to other people. And they carry those scars with them to Bible studies. They carry those scars, those scars to churches. They carry those scars to bars. They carry those scars, sometimes alone and in silence, in the late watches of the night.
They don't know what to say. They don't know how to process some of these things. I, I am convinced that that part of the the essence of Christian ministry. Is for us to ask the Holy Spirit to to open our eyes, so that we can see. That we can see the woundedness of people, and I'm also convinced that the longer I walk with the Lord, even though I'm funny and I'm goofy and I do all the stupid things that I do, there's a sadness that I see because we see how broken things are.
And I think part of that is maybe I don't know. You have to get a theologian to challenge me, but it may be woven into you know sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Doesn't mean we're all going to be physically nailed to a cross, but I don't see how you can walk with Jesus. I don't see how you can call yourself a believer and see the brokenness in this world and not groan. The Holy Spirit groans.
The world groans. The Holy Spirit groans on our behalf. All creation is groaning, says. And so, as you walk in understanding of of Scripture, and the things of God, I don't see how you cannot groan. That's not really an upbeat message on a Wednesday afternoon on talk radio, while you're driving home.
Hey, are you groaning? But that's the world so many people live in, and I can't give you the the pablum that I hear from so many pulpits out there. Oh, God just loves you just the way you are, does He? Is that is that accurate? Is that biblical?
You know, God just loves everybody, and we're all just going to you know go to heaven. And is that biblical? Is that is that You you've heard it. I mean, this stuff is just cotton candy. It's nauseating.
They're selling Twinkies, and unless people are willing to to explain to you the plight of this world, the reality of sin, people say Jesus is our savior, but they don't tell you what He's saving you from.
Well, why why do we need a savior if everybody's just all hunky dory? Why do we need a savior? You know, you show me a pastor that doesn't talk about sin, and I'll show you a pastor doesn't understand the gospel. the The purpose of of you can't share the good news if you don't first share the bad news. And I think part of our growth as Christians is we start seeing the bad news a little more clearly.
This world is messed up. It's broken. And we have a responsibility to enter that brokenness with the great message of the gospel. You know why we have a responsibility? Because we bear the name Christian, and because we bear the name Christian, that means we're Christ-like.
We're going to follow Christ. We're we're Christ followers in that regards. And guess who entered our suffering? Christ. How?
How do we expect ourselves to be anything different, if we're not willing to follow him into those places? And he said, "Follow me." And guess what? He went into suffering. And he went into it, and sometimes, he wept. And the Holy Spirit groans on our behalf.
Doesn't mean we walk around with a dour face. It just means that we go into it. We're on a mission. How many men and women put on a uniform and went into battle with a stern look on their face, but they were committed to this, knowing they were going into something that could very well hurt them. But they did it because why?
Because it was their job. No, they signed up. They put on the uniform. Who loved this country. That's why they did it.
I'm going to end today with the birthday boy. Go to the phones. I'm going to squeaking a call here with the birthday boy. Happy birthday, Peter! Peter, God bless you.
And and I just told John, our producer, there. I absolutely love you guys. Anyone, please call call Truth Talk. This is a family of of Christ followers. You will be loved just like I am.
They're wishing me a happy birthday, and I don't deserve it. I, I'll tell you, Peter, I caught the last end of what you just said, and my heart just breaks for all of these men and women who did exactly what you said. My father and grandfather served in the United States Navy. They're they're they're at home now with the Lord, and I'll tell you, Peter, I look at these these vets. And and I see their ships because my my my family was Navy, and I see the ships.
Some of them I recognize, and it's just awesome that we are so blessed, Peter, to be born by our Father God into the United States of America. And if we cannot look at these dear men and women with a sense of respect and honor, and have a duty of saying thank you. I don't know if we're truly American. We may need to have to rethink why we're here in these United States.
So, thank you so much to all the veterans. I've met several. I had lunch with Mike, who calls in regularly. He took me out to a wonderful lunch there at Chipotle, and we had a great conversation. And then I got to come to Truth Talk to say, you know, Happy Veterans Day, and God bless you, Peter.
God bless you, sir.
Well, you too, and happy birthday! What do you got planned for tonight? I'm actually getting together because it's Veterans Day. I always, Mike, you know, he he he says, "Bossman, let's go out and get something to eat." I leave today for the vets because the restaurants are full of veterans. I love going in and just saying hi.
But my dear sister Peter is going to take me out tomorrow. We're going to celebrate tomorrow, so we're going to a nice dinner. And then this is what your brother does. I love going singing, so we're going to a nice karaoke club, and my sister actually sings real well.
So we're gonna we're gonna celebrate singing.
So that's what I'm doing tomorrow. I'm I'm celebrating tomorrow.
Well, if you were any kind of real American, you'd have your breakfast at Waffle House for your birthday. Oh, you know that tradition too, bro.
So, do you have those out in Montana? No, we don't have one in the we don't have one in the entire state of Montana, and I'm jonesing for one. I was a I will tell you on my birthday, I went to when we lived in Nashville, I went to the Waffle House there, and this will give this will resonate with you, Bugs. But I went in, and there's a waitress been there for almost when she retired, she'd been there 40 years, and she's tough as nails, and she would uh in the old days she would be The one that he said, "What do you want, hon?" When the cigarette would never leave her mouth while she was asking, that's right, and the ash would fall into your yeah. One one time, I was reading the menu, and she took it out of my hand and hit me on the head with.
He said, "Why you reading the menu? You come in here every week. You ought to know what's on the menu." Hurry up! I ain't got time to mess with you. I will.
Anyway, I go in there for my birthday, and she and I held the door open because there was an older man coming out with a younger man, and the older man was looked. Pretty rough, and he had a oxygen on, and he's on a walker, and and I held the door for them and greeted them, and and then I went in, and this Judy, and she stopped me, and she wouldn't let me in. She said, "I ain't letting you in here." And I said, "What, Judy? What, why not?" She said, "You get you and I ain't serving you to go out there and pray for him, people. That man's got kids.
Oh my God, Jesus!" And she she wouldn't serve me breakfast till I went out there in the parking lot on my birthday. Had a hot day, and it was July in Tennessee, and it's a hot day, and I was. Walking out there, and I said, under my breath, I didn't let Judy hear me say it. I said. You know, I don't want any trouble.
It's my birthday. I just want breakfast. God bless you, Judy of Waffle House. She would let me. She would not serve me breakfast till I prayed for this.
This guy. These two guys. I absolutely love this woman. Oh, she was. She was the best.
I still. I still talk to her from here. From here, Montana. I still talk to her. But oh, I hope you have a good Waffle House breakfast at some point.
This you can celebrate all weekend, Buxton. And I want you to have a good day. Happy, happy birthday.
Okay, love you all at Truth Talk and everybody. Please call in. We've got a family here at Truth Talk Live. Love you, Peter. Pass it on.
This is Peter Rosenberg. Hope for the Caregiver. dot com. We'll see you next week.
