Dr. Dobson: Well, Roger, that's an understatement. I've met our guest before, and his story is absolutely incredible. David Ring is his name, and I can't wait to hear him talk again. Let me introduce this man for those who don't know about his journey, he has gone through some very difficult circumstances. Yet when he shares about it, he does so without any self-pity or anger. Now, we really need to let our listeners know that David Ring's speech has been affected pretty dramatically by his lifelong disability. He may be a little difficult for people to understand on the radio, at least in the beginning, but it doesn't take long to catch up with him and begin to understand what he's saying. Then from that point on, you'll be carried by this story.
Roger Marsh: Well, they certainly will, Doctor. David Ring speaks almost 200 times per year, which is incredible when you consider the challenges that he has to deal with. He's already booked solid through all of next year, too. He has a powerful and compelling story to be sure, and we're going to hear it right now on today's edition of Family Talk.
David Ring: When my staff told me I have 35 minutes, I told them, "I can't even say my name in 35 minutes," but I promise to keep it within 35 minutes. I've been begging Dr. Dobson to let me come speak. He said, "No, I don't feel led." I just said, "Please. Let me come and speak." He said, "No, I don't feel led." I finally said, "Dr. Dobson, if I make a deal with you, if you let me come, I will pay my own way." He said, "Now I feel led." I don't think he did that, but I'm so happy that Brett and Kristen come from Ireland, because I'm not the only one that talk funny.
I'd like to be with you more often. When I give the speech, people get tired because they just say, "I can't understand the dude." Hang in there, I'm like a wart. I got to grow on you. By the time I get energy, I'm going to grow all over you. You say, "Well, I can't catch everything you are saying." Don't worry about that. I don't even catch everything I'm saying. That's why we have DVDs. Duh. Dr. Dobson, I cannot begin to thank you enough. I literally cannot go anywhere and open my mouth and somebody come up to me and say, "I heard you with Dr. Dobson." It got so bad, when my family and I go on vacation, they look at me before we go inside to eat, they'd say, "Dad, don't open your mouth. Don't say a word, because we want to eat one meal without anybody coming over to the table." Whatever you want, [inaudible 00:04:58], but I don't have name recognition, I have voice recognition.
Today, I want to spend this time, Thanksgiving, my favorite time of the whole year, the words come to me that I would live out every day, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Today, I want to speak to you a little bit on how do you overcome. How do overcome? You can tell when I walked on stage, I have something to overcome. When I open my mouth, you'd say, "He got something to overcome." Nevertheless, I believe with all my heart, every one of you today, every one of you today have something to overcome. Oh, don't be afraid, because you've done a good job, because you shove it down deep, and nobody know about it, but you and God know about it.
Thirty five years ago, when I started my ministry, I made a statement in public, beyond the pulpit that stuck with me for 35 years. I am known all over this country by the stigma, I have cerebral palsy. What's your problem? I have cerebral palsy. What's your problem? However, two months ago, I came up with a different statement I love even better. I have cerebral palsy, but cerebral palsy don't have me. It's my prayer today that every one of you will leave the chapel saying, "I have blank, but blank don't have me." What is cerebral palsy? When I was born, I was born dead, for 18 minutes. The oxygen could not get to my brain. When I came out of the womb, I was stillborn baby, I was dead. They did not know what to do with me. Therefore, they literally put me on the table against the wall and left me alone, because they wanted to save my mama.
I lay on that table 18 minutes. I don't know why, I don't know who, but somebody came over and touched my body, 18 minutes later. Fathom that, 18 minutes, and I'm alive today because somebody touched me. However, do you understand it's a living miracle that I'm standing before you today? I'm supposed to be a complete vegetable, but all I have to say: it's not over until God say it's over. The devil mean it for evil, but God mean it for good. When I was 11 years old, a little boy, my daddy got sick two weeks later. My daddy died with cancer of the liver. Well, I'm the baby of the family, I'm the baby of eight, and when I came around, they spoiled me rotten. I'm nothing but a spoiled, rotten brat, and I loved every minute of it. My mama would spoil me, my mama gave me everything I wanted. Sometimes she even gave me things I don't want. You know what I mean? But I love my mama.
I'm not only the baby of the family, but I'm a A-number one mama baby boy. You couldn't tell by looking at me, I'm a mama boy, because I got the mama baby face. You make fun of me, I'm going to punch your lights out. I love my mama. Every morning, my mama and I get up and put our arm around each other. We tell each other we love each other, and I'm not ashamed to tell you, I will be a A-number one mama baby boy until the day I die. Why? Because I love my mama. One day in my life though, at the young age of 14, my mama got sick. She went in the hospital and had an operation on the neck, the day before Mother's Day, 1968. A simple operation, no big deal.
July, though, two months later, the doctor came to my family and said, "Your mama will never come home again." She had cancer. She had six months at the very, very most to live. I go, "Oh no, they're not talking about my mama. My mama would never abandon me like that. My mama is the only one that loved me just the way I am. My mama can't die on me. Can she?" I done the only thing. I didn't know what to do. I got down on my knee every day, every night, and then I just said, "God, please don't take my mama. God, please don't take my mama. God, please don't take my mama. God, my mama's the only thing I have, God. Don't take my mama, please," but October 16, 1968, I saw my mama take her last breath.
I saw my mama go from 185 pounds to 57 pounds. My daddy was born in 1903, my mama was born in 1912, and when they died, I died. I didn't want to live. I wanted to die. If I couldn't live with my mama, I did not want to live at all. Everywhere I went, somebody would point their finger and say, "Look, that boy walk funny. Look, that boy talk funny. Look, that boy can't do nothing right." It's no fun to be made fun of. I couldn't go home to my mama, and I couldn't say, "Mama, somebody made fun of me today." She couldn't put her arm around me and make it all better. People look at me. I would literally lay in bed every day, every night, with tears rolling down by face, begging to die. Why? Because I was lonely. Why? Because I was longing to be in my mama's arms one more time.
I thought if I could only be in my mama's arms one more time, Mama would make it all better, but those days never came. It's no fun to be called every name other than my own. Can you imagine today for a moment, every time you open your mouth, people look at you, and people giggle, and people call you every name other than your own? Somebody once said, "Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That's the biggest lie I know. Amen?
Audience: Amen.
David Ring: You remember that song we used to sing growing up, "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream"? Do you remember that song? Finish it for me. Merrily, merrily-
Audience: Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
David Ring: Row, row, row your boat.
Audience: Gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
David Ring: Life is but a ...
Audience: Dream.
David Ring: Whoever wrote that is a idiot! Life is more than a dream. Life is a nightmare to many of us. I told my family, "Give me up on me," and they did. Everybody gave up on me, but one sister. She wanted me to go to school. I said, "Look, give up on me. I'm hopeless. I'm worthless. Give up on me." She said, "No, I'm not going to give up on you. I don't know what I'm going to do with you yet, but I'm sure not going to give up on you." Thank God for a stubborn sister. Amen? She wanted me to go to church. I didn't want to go to church. I've been brought up in the church. My daddy was the preacher. I'm the preacher's kid. I went to church all my life. I went to church nine months before I was ever born. Duh.
But I didn't want to go to church, because God don't love me. God don't even like me. God's forsaken me. If God loved me, why, why, why? People look at me. You don't have my story today, thank God. I don't have your story, but we all have a story. Don't we? We've all been there. One night I went to church just to get my sister off my back. Yeah, I went in, I sit down when the preacher got up to preach, and I said, "Man, I wish you would shut up." You've been there too, huh? That night, the preacher shut up. But look at me, something happened to me that changed my life forever. Even though I'd been brought up in a good, Bible believing church, I mean, King James only. Even though I'd been brought up in that kind of church, I found out for the first time that God does love David, and God does have a wonderful plan for David's life.
For the first time in my life, I found out that I'm not okay, but that's okay, God loves me anyway. People, when you ever find out you not okay, but that's okay, God loves you anyway, it will change your life. The problem is, you think you are okay, but I got news for you. I'm looking at you. You not okay, but that's okay, God loves you anyway. Amen?
Audience: Amen.
David Ring: Look at somebody right now and say it, "I'm not okay."
Audience: I'm not okay.
David Ring: Say it louder.
Audience: I'm not okay.
David Ring: But that's okay.
Audience: But that's okay.
David Ring: But that's okay.
Audience: But that's okay.
David Ring: God loves me anyway.
Audience: God loves me anyway.
David Ring: Whether you do or not.
Audience: Whether you do or not.
David Ring: Duh. That night I got up out of my seat, came down to an old fashioned altar, got down on my bony knee and I'd say a simple prayer, like this, "Lord, I don't have anything to give you but a broken life. My heart is broken into a million pieces, but if you're up there, if you love me, come into my life. I'm a nobody, but tonight I want to be a somebody." Hallelujah, people, April 17, 1970, at 8:45 PM, Central Standard Time, I became a somebody, because Jesus came into my life.
I became more than a conqueror, I became a overcomer. God begun a good work in me. God took away my old thing, gave me new thing. God took away my loneliness, gave me happiness. I'm not lonely anymore. I'm happy. You know why? Because I've been to the doctor, Doctor Jesus. Pretty good doctor to go to. Amen? Number one, you don't have to wait in an office for two hours. God took away my sorrow and gave me joy unspeakable. For all glory, look at me. Look at me. I'd still walk with a limp, I'd still talk funny, but oh, the joy that floods my soul, because Jesus touched me and made me whole.
I have cerebral palsy, but thank God, cerebral palsy don't have me.
Roger Marsh: I'm Roger Marsh, and you have been listening to the David Ring story on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. There is so much more to this story, and Doctor, I am so glad that we're going to be able to share this with our listeners again tomorrow.
Dr. Dobson: Roger, what moves me about David Ring's story is his lack of bitterness in response to the pain that he's experienced. Instead of blaming God for his disability and saying, "Why me," and being consumed with his own anger, he's still trying to win people to Christ. He is a servant of the Savior whom he refers to, and I appreciate this man.
Roger Marsh: I know you do, Dr. Dobson. David Ring is an inspiration to all of us, for how to deal with the obstacles of life, with grace and with determination. He encourages each of us to trust God's plan no matter how bad things might seem for us. This is definitely one of those Family Talk programs that I know our listeners will want to hear again and again, and then also share with people that they know who might be going through some tough times. I can think of a guy in my church right now who really needs to hear this program. If that is your story too, please contact us to find out how you can get a copy of this program. You can reach us by phone at (877) 732-6825, that's (877) 732-6825, or online, go to drjamesdobson.org. Follow the link on our broadcast page to find out more about David Ring's ministry.
He speaks several times a month, all over the country. You'll want to find out if he's speaking anywhere near you, because you will definitely benefit and be inspired by hearing David Ring speak in person. We're able to bring such great resources to you here on the broadcast because of the generous support of our listeners. Together, we work to strengthen families and to encourage one another to grow in faith, too. If you could, right now, would you please help us to continue in this mission? We appreciate every gift and every prayer, and you can donate online easily at drjamesdobson.org, or call us at (877) 732-6825. Please know how much we appreciate your prayers and your financial support. Be sure to come back again tomorrow to hear part two of the David Ring story.
David Ring: God not only changed my life, God changed my attitude. I went back to school the next day with a brand new outlook on life, and the school was so dumbfounded by the way I looked. They were going to each other all day long and say, "What happened to him?" They had to call together an old-school assembly, and wanted me to stand on stage, and wanted me to tell them what happened to me. Therefore, I got on stage that day. I'd say, "Student body, I went through an old fashioned revival last night. I gave my life to God. I don't understand that, but I know one thing, I don't want to die anymore. I want to live. Why? Because I got something worth living for, because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Roger Marsh: That's next time on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk.
Announcer: This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
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