Roger Marsh: Hello everyone, and welcome to Family Talk, the broadcasting division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Roger Marsh. And I want to thank you for listening. As you may know, we are completely listener supported and we rely entirely on the support of our faithful listeners. And for that, I want to thank you. Now, Dr. Dobson is currently still in California, still working on his new book. He and Shirley are doing very, very well, and they're enjoying their time together today. We have a very special broadcast for you here on Family Talk. It is aimed especially toward men, and of course the women and children who love them. Now, if you've been following Dr Dobson's ministry for any amount of time, you know that he believes strongly that men need to take up their roles as leaders in the home, and to find their identity in Jesus here at the JDFI, we are dedicated to these truths and so is our guest today here on Family Talk.
Roger Marsh: You're about to hear one of Dr. Dobson's favorite preachers, Pastor E.V. Hill. Now Pastor Hill passed away in 2003, but he left behind a vibrant legacy. He served as pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist church in Los Angeles, where he faithfully served for 42 years. Today, we're going to return to an energetic venue where Pastor Hill spoke back in 1992. It was Fulsome Stadium in Boulder, Colorado, where over 20,000 men were attending a Promise Keepers event. Of course, Promise Keepers was started by Dr. Dobson's great friend and former Colorado Buffs football coach, Bill McCartney. That Promise Keepers weekend in 1992, began with Dr. Hill addressing what a man's true identity ought to be. And by the way, Dr. Dobson actually spoke behind that same podium at the Promise Keepers event one year later in 1993.
Roger Marsh: Now at the time of this message, the United States was on the verge of a presidential election. You'll hear Dr. Hill refer several times to that in his presentation. As you know, Dr. Dobson places a great deal of importance on politics and what goes on with our government and legislation. Why, you ask. Well, because politics equals policy and policy affects the family. It is that simple, and it is incredibly important. I think you'll find today's message to be very relevant even 30 years after it was originally presented, much of the hope of our nation lies in the ability of men to find their true worth and identity in Jesus Christ. And now here is Dr. E.V. Hill on this special edition of Family Talk.
Dr. E.V. Hill: Thank you. Thank you so very much. We have the right crowd here at the right place. God has greatly blessed us. There are two passages of scripture that I want to lead you into thinking with me with. One is found in 1 Peter, the second chapter beginning with verse 9. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people that ye shall show forth the praise of Him who have called you out of darkness into the marvelous light, which in times pass, were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." And then of course, in my favorite passage, "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. And with the shield of faith, you may be able to quench every fiery dart of the wicked."
Dr. E.V. Hill: The first thing that I think it is very important tonight is to identify us. I believe it is important. I believe it is very central that the media and strangers who have come to be with us tonight, know exactly who we are. First of all, I would say that I would want to talk about who we are not. We are not people who have placed their faith in materialism or humanism. We are not people who have given up. We are a people of hope. We are a people of determination. We are a people with a message from God. We are a people of love, of mercy, and a message of salvation. Our message is very, very clear. And we are here to lift up our candidate who is campaigning for your life. He is Lord of lord and King of kings, the son of God.
Dr. E.V. Hill: If you let Him, and if you let Him, you will have one who will be able to direct your path in all of these other important, but minor situations. We are identified with Christ because we believe that life begins at finding yourself. And no one has found themselves who have not found the right relationship with that creator and the only way you can find your right relationship with your creator is to find Jesus Christ, for you get to the Father only through the Son.
Dr. E.V. Hill: We believe, and we have accepted and we have experienced that Jesus Christ is the son of God, our Lord, our savior, Jesus Christ. He's that. Because we have been identified and we identify ourselves with him, it should be very clear. I should never forget. On one of Mr. Donahue's shows when Pat Robinson was running for president, that was a discussion of what would it be like if he or any Christian would be elected president of the United States, a youngster got on the microphone about 20 years old. And he said, "Oh my God, what a travesty. What a breakdown. The world would almost self destruct." And I thought how pitiful and how unfortunate it is for him and thousands of others to not know what happens to you when you accept Christ.
Dr. E.V. Hill: There are millions of people, whoever feel that we turn into some type of varmint, or some type of beast, some type of animal out of this world, because there are people who believe that the worst thing that can happen is that Christians rise up and take this country for Christ. I suggest that the greatest thing that can happen is for Christians to rise up and take this country for Christ. So we are here because we believe the Lord Jesus Christ. We became acquainted with Him first, by hearing the word of God. As I look out over this throng of people, I am so excited because there are enough of us right here to take every hamlet, village, city, and town take to it, the message of Jesus Christ.
Dr. E.V. Hill: 10, or 12, 15 years ago, when J. Edgar Hoover was head of the FBI, he invited a number of leaders, some 200 or more, to New York to discuss the plight of our country as it related to subversive activities. He invited us to hear about the left wing and the right wing movement in the United States. I for one was not really interested in neither the right wing, nor left wing. It was the bird that I was concerned. All right wing birds have a left wing. And so all of a sudden with these 200 people on the 40th floor at the Hilton Hotel, they began to discuss the Black Panther party and its impact upon New York City. That the Panthers have New York, the Panthers were roaming the streets of New York. The Panthers had shut up all stores after 5:00 o'clock in Harlem, New York and upper New York. The Panthers had closed down the Central Park for the most part, the Panthers made millions of people cross the bridges hurrying out of New York.
Dr. E.V. Hill: The Panthers had fear-gripped New York City, millions of people, nearly four millions of people fled because the Panthers were on the march. And so I asked Mr. Sullivan a question. I knew the answer, but I wanted everybody else to know it. I said, "Mr. Sullivan, how many Panthers are active in New York? How many of them are causing stores to be locked up? How many of them are causing churches not to have worship at night? How many of them are closing down Central Park at night, Lovers' Lane? How many of them have gripped the town with fear? What is the active membership of the Black Panther party of New York?"
Dr. E.V. Hill: Mr. Sullivan said, "81." 81 running four million people across the bridges. 81 closing down churches and businesses. 81 causing fear to grip and shutting down the places of social activity. Just 81. My friends there needs to be a condemnation of the Black Panthers activity, but there needs to be a compliment of their effectiveness. Because as I look out over here, there's 81 everywhere I look. And we are not closing down nothing. We are not closing down institutions of ill repute, abortion centers, and what have you. We are not closing them down. And there are more than 81 of us here, but those 81 were dedicated to the point of their own lives. They care not for their lives, and they were effective in closing down New York. And I have come here tonight to plead, to beg, that these 20,000 men of God multiplied 81 many times, will leave here with the word so fired up, until every city, every community, every church will be turned upside down.
Dr. E.V. Hill: We can do it because of who we are. We can do it because of who we are. Listen again, at who we are because we have been identified with Jesus Christ. Listen again to Peter, the second chapter, but this Bible's stuck together from the rain. "We are a chosen generation. We are a royal priesthood because we have been identified with Christ." There is a wrongness in us. I'm more than a boy, bred in poverty and discrimination in Texas. I'm more than a boy that lived in a log cabin. I am now a member of the family of God. I'm a royal priest. I'm a child of the King.
Dr. E.V. Hill: "Now having been redeemed through our identification with Jesus Christ." I wished it was so that all that we had to do was come here to Boulder and enjoy ourselves. I wished it was so that all we had to do was shout to the glory of God. But my friends, our communities will not permit us to remain on this mountain. Our community's loaded and riddled with dope. Our community is filled with the homeless and our community is filled with those with no food. I feed from two to 5,000 people every week at the Lord's Kitchen, people who are hungry. Our community, the economics is low and understandably so, our community is still filled with racism. Our community, unfortunately, is building tall brick walls, separating Hispanics from each other, Afro-American from each other, white people from each other.
Dr. E.V. Hill: There's work for us to be done. These are the fiery darts of the wicked, and he's firing them at us everywhere we go. Satan is on his job. We who have been identified with Christ must get what we can on this mountain, but leave this mountain and go wherever we have come from and make a difference in the name of Jesus.
Dr. E.V. Hill: Paul gives us a shouting verse. He says, "With the shield of faith, where if he shall be able." He didn't say it is possible. He didn't say maybe. He said with the shield of faith. Our faith. With that faith as our shield, we can quench, we can squash, we can destroy, we can put out of business every fiery dart of the wicked. You didn't shout loud enough. So let's put it another way. Let's put it another way, and you ought to shout. Every fiery dart of the wicked can be put out. The homeless can be sheltered. The hungry can be fed. The lost can be saved. The homes can be redeemed. The children can be safe. We can overcome. We can be all right.
Dr. E.V. Hill: So I send you forth with a faith that will not shrink though pressed by every foe. I send you forth from here this weekend, bold and venturous, go out there and witness to the lost. Organize for the gangs, organize for the hookers, organize for the pimps. Bring them all back to God's fold. They are God's children. Let's start a bonfire right here and let it spread. I have written a special poem for this occasion. I dedicate it to every one of you. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on, go on, go on. Go on, go on, go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. The second verse. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. Because go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. Lift up his banner. Our Christ marches on.
Roger Marsh: Passionate and inspiring words from the late Pastor E.V. Hill here on Family Talk. I hope that today's broadcast has been an encouragement to you and has given you some motivation to stay in the field as Dr. Dobson often says, and to go on with the work that the Lord has given you. After all, as Pastor Hill has reminded us, our identity is in Christ. In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." And again, the writing of the apostle Paul, this time in Ephesians 2:10 declaring, "For we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." If the spirit of God lives in us and we have been created by God to do good works, why would we ever search for our identity in anything other than Jesus Christ?
Roger Marsh: If you're feeling lost or stuck right now, pray that God would tell you what he has for you to do in this season. And if you want someone to pray with you, give us a call (877) 732-6825. We're here for you 24/7. Again, that number is (877) 732-6825. Now, to learn more about pastor E.V. Hill and his ministry, visit our broadcast page at drjamesdobson.org. That's drjamesdobson.org/broadcast. Thanks so much for listening to Family Talk today and if you like what you hear, be sure to tell a friend. From all of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute have a blessed day and a peaceful weekend. And don't forget, Family Talk Weekend is heard on many of our broadcast stations as well. You'll find a complete list of stations and times on our website at drjamesdobson.org. That's drjamesdobson.org/broadcast. I'm Roger Marsh. Thanks for listening.
Announcer: This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
Dr. James Dobson: I've never met Larry Walters, but I know I like him. Larry's a truck driver from Los Angeles whose boyhood dream was to fly. His family was poor and the dream remained out of reach, but he never gave up hope. Then one day, somewhere around his 33rd birthday, he emerged from the garage to capture the attention of the entire city. A weatherman at the Los Angeles international airport noticed this small blip on the radar screen. High above the city, Larry was flying. He was sitting in an aluminum lawn chair, hooked by ropes to 45 weather balloons. A parachute was strapped onto his back, just in case. And he was carrying a CB radio, some peanut butter sandwiches, and a BB gun to pop some of the balloons when he was ready to come down. Later, when a reporter asked if he was scared, he said, "Wonderfully so."
Dr. James Dobson: Now that may not have been the smartest thing anyone ever did and Larry is lucky he didn't crash land on a California freeway, but you do have to admire the guy for having the courage to try something new. Let me ask you what new idea has been buzzing around in your head for years? Just waiting for the confidence to go for it. Have you wanted to start your own business or go back to school or write that book that's somewhere in the back of your mind? Maybe this is the time to set your dreams in motion. If Larry can drift skyward in a lawn chair, you can reach for the heavens in your own way.
Roger Marsh: To find out how you can partner with Family Talk, go to drjamesdobson.org.