Is your marriage struggling? Communication breaking down, trust fading, conflict that never seems to resolve? Well, there's still hope. Hope Restored Marriage Intensives by Focus on the Family helps couples step away from daily life and focus fully on rebuilding their relationship. And right now, through the Marriage Investment Initiative, Hope Restored is investing $1,000 toward every marriage intensive. Visit hoprestored.com slash marriage-investment. Look at me, people, look at me. I still walk with a limp. I still talk fun about all the joy that floods my soul because Jesus touched me and made me whole. What a unique delivery of a life-changing message from David Ring as he talked about the triumph that he's known in spite of the severe limitations on his body from cerebral palsy. If you've ever felt unloved or ridiculed, and most of us have at some time, please know that this program could be just what you need to hear. Welcome to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. I'm John Fuller. John, I got to tell you, I love this message from David Ring. I just love it. His story is so inspiring because he hasn't allowed his physical challenges as difficult as they are. To stop him from doing what God has called him to do. And that should inspire all of us. He is determined to share the gospel with as many people as he can, despite what most people would call his limitations. In fact, he visited Focus on the Family back in 2007 and spoke at our staff chapel gathering. And boy, were we inspired. And if you missed part one of David's presentation yesterday, please get in touch with us. We can send you the entire message on CD or audio download. Or you can get it from the Focus on the Family app for your smartphone. Yeah, and the links for all of those are in the show notes. David Ring is an author, an evangelist, and a husband, father, and grandfather. And we'll hear more about his family today. And Jim, as we said last time, David has a speech impediment, as you can tell from the clip that we just shared. But that message that he has is so clear. As you lean in and listen along, you kind of get used to the rhythm of his delivery. And it's so powerful. Here now is David Ring speaking at Moody Bible Institute's Founders Week a number of years ago on Focus on the Family with Jim Dilley. People come up to me and say, brother Dave, don't you want to be normal? And I look at them, I just say, what's normal? You think you're normal? You got along with your buddy. And some of you know you're making. Hey, man, I don't want to be normal. I want to be just like God made me. Let me tell you something that blow your mentality down the tube. They got new me before I was even born. And when I was in my mom and womb, God ordained me. The Bible said I was wonderfully and fearfully made by God. God. Do you know God never said oops? God never said oops. Now, by looking at some of you, he came real close. But I thank God for the way I am. By the way, what's wrong with walking with a limp? Huh? What's wrong with talking funny? We throw away broken things normally. But God don't. God use broken things. What's wrong with cerebral palsy? You'd say they would. It's a minority. I beg your ever-loving pardon. Because the Bible said if God befall me, who can be against me? They tell me it's a handicap. It's a disability below me. Below me. I would be like I am in a day that I have the man that don't know the power of God. I would be like I am in a day that I have the woman that never seen the love of God in life. I thank God for the way I am. I will not trade body with anyone of you. I thank God for walking with a limp. I thank God for talking funny. It's a privilege to talk funny. When I'm in public and open my mouth, people look. When you open your mouth, they just keep on going. I thank God for the way I am. Contemplate, contemplate, contemplate. It's not get what you want. It won't know what you got. I thank God for what I got. They tell me I'm a cripple, but the Bible tell me I'm more than conqueror. They tell me I'm a nobody, but I got news for those J-birds. I'm a somebody. I've been born with pride. I'm a child of the king. I've been adopted in the family of God. And highly, my name is Wither and the Lamb of God. So tell me I can't do anything, but the Bible says with God all things are possible. They tell me I will never be a preacher by Him. I'm preaching my guts out, man. 1971, God called me to preach. Laying in bed when I'm under my own business. And God said, David, I want you to preach. And said, who me? Lord, I can preach, Lord. I talk for the Lord. People can understand me, Lord. I held to the Bible policy. Can you imagine? Mean to the Lord. I held to the Bible policy. I got from the Bible and God said, really? You've got to be kidding. Tell me something I don't know, big boy. And I said, God, if you want me to preach, take a second look and then call me, eat truck, take a second look, eat steel, call me to preach. And I got out of my bed, got my Bible, and I opened the Philippians 413, which said I can do all things through which strength of me. And people look at me. I'm not going to let a shaky body slow me down from doing what God called me to do. Now look at me. Look at me. I have cerebral palsy. Watch your problem. Watch your problem. Why are you crying the balloons? Why are you down with the dumb? Why are you down with the mouth? Why do you want to quit? Why do you want to throw in the towel? Look at me. Watch your problem. Don't whine, but shine. Don't you think it's about time to get the lead out and put the Lord in? Don't you think it's about time to get all your blessed assurance? Don't you think it's about time to get all dead center in your life? Look at you. God gave you a healthy body. Look at me. I'm weak. I'm frail. I can't even say Jesus. Plain. Watch your problem, a healthy man. Watch your problem, a healthy woman. What are you doing in your life? Don't whine, but shine. They told me I will never make it in evangelism. I only been doing it 23 years. I may not make it. They said, you will never get enough invitation to shake it stick at. But last year alone in 1995, I received a amount offered in Orlando, Florida, over 700 invitations. When I get a little bit more invitation, I'm going to go full time. God don't want my ability, but God want my availability. That's the only thing I do for a living. I'm not only church staff. I'm not only church people. I go from town to town from church to church all over this country. And people, that's what I've been doing for 23 years. I speak over 200 times a year. They told me it can be done. I love women that know it because God said, stand back boys. Let me take over. It's not about power. It's not about mind, but by God's grace, the letter is much when God is in it. Don't ever judge a book by its cover. They told me I will never finish college, but I did. I've been going full year of college in the past. They told me I will never find a wife. My own family told me that. They said, don't even look for a wife. Why not? No woman will love you. Why not? You're not good enough. Don't even look for a wife. You won't ever find a wife. You can make a living for a wife. You won't ever find a wife. Don't look for a wife. But 1981, God found me a dynamite wife who loves me. Who loves me, who prays for me. She is dynamite. We've been married for 14 years now, and you know why she loves me more and more and more? She loves me just the way I am. I told her the other day, don't ever think about leaving me. Don't ever think about leaving me. If you leave me, I'm going with you. I might be dumb, but not stupid. But I thank God for my little healthy wife. Another one was, she is beautiful. They told me I will never be a daddy, but I am no one but full time. Pretty good, huh? I'm a daddy to three little girls, one little boy. People come up to my hand and say, Buddha Dave, all your children, normal. Sometime I think they got brain damage. But that's normal, amen. Look at me, people. Every time I look at my family, all I can say to God, be the glory. Go, I think he has done people. I didn't give the bum deal. I got a blessed deal. I didn't give the short end of the stick. I got the old stick. If you don't believe in the power of God, look at Bill. I came a long way, baby. Amen. I know who I am. I'm the one that loves my mom. I know who I am, but thank God I know who I am. God took away my mama. That loves me and judged the way I am. You know why God gave me five people? That loves me and judged the way I am. My wife and four kids. I know who I am, and I sure know where I'm going. One day I'm going to look up, and I'm going to see my mama and my daddy again. Wonder what they think. You'd say, do you mean to your mama? Do you mean to your daddy? Sure I do. I would love to go home Thanksgiving and eat mom and girl home cooking. I would love to go home at Christmas time and find a present under the tree for mom. And then I would love to call my mama up and say I have a mama day. I would love to call my mama up and say I sure do love you today, mama. I would love to bring my daddy, to let my daddy in when preaching in Chicago and after I preach, let my daddy tell me everything I did wrong. I would love that, but I can never help that but don't feel sorry for me because joy is coming in the morning. And not only that, when I can do heaven, I'm going to be a brand new body. I'm not going to walk with a lamp. I'm not going to talk funny. I'm going to walk and talk like Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Before if you don't like the way I am, I hang in there. I'm still in the oven. God's still in the kitchen. God's still cooking on me. And when God gives finished cooking on me, God's going to pull me out of the oven and God's going to say well done, good, and faithful. And suffer. But until then, until then, I'm going to keep on doing what God called me to do. I have cerebral palsy. What's your problem? What's your problem? What are you doing with your life today? If I can do it, surely you can. It's not while you are on the outside. It's everything you are on the inside. What's your problem? All you're doing, all you can, with all you have. Think about the men. Think about the women. All you're doing, all you can, with all you have. Can you and I do it anymore? I wanted today, I wanted today what kind of impact we can make. If every one of us didn't say, I'm not doing all I can. Today, I want to make myself more available to you, God. People don't give God anymore its gifts. You don't have any. If I can, if God can use me, look what God can do with you. Well, that thunderous applause wraps up this incredible broadcast featuring David Ring on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Wow, Jim, what an inspiring person. He really is. If David's message doesn't light a fire under you, you've got another problem. That brings up a pretty bold question I'd like to ask you. What in your life rises to that level, that kind of challenge that David has overcome? Where can you do a better job with your attitude, your approach with your expression of the gospel? Let me tell you, I'll ask myself those same questions. David shared so clearly what the Lord can do with a person who takes their eyes off their own problems and puts them on him, on the Lord. And that's really the message I got from the presentation. And the other takeaway is that we need to teach our children that everyone, regardless of their appearance or their ability to communicate, has value in God's eyes. They are made in his image and he can use them mightily like he did David's life. It's so important to really understand that, to teach that. Now here at Focus on the Family, we want to encourage you in your journey as a mom or a dad, in your walk with Christ. We recommend David's book in which he captures his story. It's called The Boy Born Dead, a story of friendship, courage and triumph. And you can hear in his voice all that victory that he's attained in Christ. Get your copy of The Boy Born Dead from us here when you follow the link in the show notes. And by the way, it might be a good idea to get the book and then read it together as a family. That's a great idea, John. And here at the close of the program, I want to share a letter that we received from a mom named Phyllis. She said that her 21-year-old daughter, Caitlin, was diagnosed with chronic seizures at age three. She underwent several surgeries with absolutely no improvement. But recently, Caitlin had a sixth surgery and she is now seizure-free. And we all praise the Lord for that. Phyllis went on to say that during some of the darkest times on this journey, she would tune into the program and that it would give her the encouragement she needed to make it through the moment. And she would also call us for prayer. And that gave her hope. She said that she loves us and that's humbling, believe me, and that she could not have made it through the last 18 years without focus. I mean, isn't that something? There it is. That really blesses me. And I hope it blesses all of you that help support the ministry too. It is such a privilege together to stand in the gap for these parents who need help. So I'd like to encourage you to consider partnering with us financially. That is the fuel that gets ministry done. These are very difficult times for many, many people. And in fact, we receive over 2,200 requests each month for a consultation with a counselor. Think of that. And with your help, Focus on the Family can put that proverbial arm around the person and pray with them and help them and really counsel them through those dark moments. So if you're in a good place and the Lord is blessing you, can you consider helping bless others? The best way to do that is through a monthly pledge that really helps even out the budget for us or a one-time gift is good too. And when you make a monthly pledge of any amount, we'll send you David Ring's book, The Boy Born Dead, plus a free audio download of his entire presentation. And that'll be our way of saying thanks for partnering with us in ministry. And if you can't make that monthly commitment, we get that. We can also send you the book and the audio for a one-time gift of any amount. So get your copy today. Yeah, donate online when you follow the link in the show notes. And remember that David's message is part of a larger collection of audio downloads. It's free. It's called Enduring the Challenges of Life. You'll find this five-hour audio collection that you can sign up for on our website. Thanks for listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Take a moment, please, and leave a rating for us in your podcast app. And share about this episode with a friend. Somebody you know needs to be encouraged by David Ring. And on behalf of the team, join us next time as we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ. Focus with Jim Daly. I visit with fascinating guests about important topics like gender confusion, cancel culture, and more. While helping you share God's love with others. Listen at refocuswithjimdaily.com.
