{"id":302003,"date":"2010-03-31T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-31T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy\/"},"modified":"2010-03-31T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-31T15:00:00","slug":"walking-through-the-valley-with-joy","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking Through the Valley With Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gary Oliver fondly reminisces about his early days of marriage to his wife, Carrie, and talks about the unwelcome guest \u2013 cancer, that showed up in their 24th year of matrimony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-03-31.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"23.12M","filesize_raw":"24240129","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2860],"tags":[4820,5035,2607,5141],"podcast_series":[7717],"cwp_profile":[9195],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302003","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hardship-and-suffering","tag-cancer","tag-crisis","tag-stress","tag-survivor","podcast_series-the-refuge-of-faith","cwp_profile-gary-oliver","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302003\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302003\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"qxAUQG1eYW\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy\/\">Walking Through the Valley With Joy<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/walking-through-the-valley-with-joy\/embed\/#?secret=qxAUQG1eYW\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Walking Through the Valley With Joy&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"qxAUQG1eYW\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Gary Oliver fondly reminisces about his early days of marriage to his wife, Carrie, and talks about the unwelcome guest \u2013 cancer, that showed up in their 24th year of matrimony.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-03-31.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u00a0Yes.\u00a0 \u201cRomans is over, amen.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I said, \u201cHere\u2019s a set of cassette tapes on Romans, and I\u2019ll be seeing you guys later.\u201d\u00a0 Well, through a process of just getting together, we started actually to read some books together and talk about things and pray together.\u00a0 As you know, I warn couples about praying when they\u2019re dating because prayer is a very intimate thing.\u00a0 I just, again\u2014this will sound clich\u00e9\u2014I just really saw an amazing heart in her and a love for the Lord, and I decided I\u2019m going to break my rule.\u00a0 Or, I guess I just called it amazing grace.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo we started dating, it was amazing, I was surprised.\u00a0 I was amazed, because I never thought I would marry someone that much younger.\u00a0 I thought maybe I may never get married.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Did her parents have any concerns about this guy who was eleven years older than their daughter?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Oh, they had real concerns.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t believers, and they didn\u2019t know if she was part of a cult at the University, but once they met me, we became friends.\u00a0 We have a great relationship to this day.\u00a0 But they were a little concerned, this guy with longer hair and a mustache from Southern California of all places, and I was in Nebraska.\u00a0 What could be going on here with their daughter?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>So you were married and launched a family, ultimately had three sons, and over the course of the years, you\u2019ve taught in colleges and seminaries, you moved to Siloam Springs, was it while you were at John Brown University that you first were aware that there was a health issue?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been married for 27 years.\u00a0 In our 25<sup>th<\/sup> year, Carrie got her cancer.\u00a0 I had cancer four times already.\u00a0 The last time it was stage three.\u00a0 I\u2019d had heavy chemotherapy for three months.\u00a0 I could barely walk from my bed.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>This was cancer of the tongue, is that what you had?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Cancer of the tongue, yes.\u00a0 I had radiation and I couldn\u2019t talk, I wrote a note to the oncologist and said, \u201cWhen will my voice come back?\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cWell, Gary, there\u2019s a 50-50 chance that your voice will never come back, because of the chemotherapy and the 36 radiation treatments.\u201d\u00a0 By God\u2019s grace, my voice did come back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCarrie had always been healthy and athletic.\u00a0 There were only two cases of spouse abuse in our marriage, and both times she hit me, and that\u2019s when we were playing racquetball, because she was very competitive.\u00a0 I had a serve that sometimes would just die in the corner, so the only spouse abuse was when she hit me twice on the racquetball court.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut, she was very healthy.\u00a0 She started having stomach pains, and we did a lot of testing for six months, and finally they sent us up to Kansas City.\u00a0 They said that she had metastatic pancreatic cancer.\u00a0 Away from her hearing the Doctor said, \u201cGary, you probably have less than three months.\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cQuite frankly, this is the largest tumor that in 26 years of being a pathologist that I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d\u00a0 So, I knew it was serious.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>What\u2019s that moment like for a husband?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You know it\u2019s hard beyond words.\u00a0 There just aren\u2018t words for it, first of all.\u00a0 But secondly as a husband\u2014and you guys understand this\u2014our job is to protect our wives.\u00a0 Our job is to protect them\u2026\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>To fix it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, take care of it, and to make sure they are safe.\u00a0 And when this happens, there is nothing you can do.\u00a0 So it\u2019s\u2014you know, breast cancer, her family had that, her mom and sister and stuff, but pancreatic cancer that\u2019s metastasized, it can be a matter of weeks or months.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut the amazing thing is as we sat there in Kansas City, we left the office and went out to Kansas City Plaza, got some coffee we had been there many times before, held hands, and I said, \u201cYou know sweetie, God is not surprised at this.\u201d\u00a0 She squeezed my hand and said, \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cThis is not an accident.\u00a0 God is not walking the balcony of Heaven saying \u2018Oh my goodness!\u00a0 Why did I take a day off?\u00a0 How could this happen to Carrie?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSomehow God has allowed this to happen.\u00a0 At the same time, she\u2019s weeping, I\u2019m weeping, but there was this amazing sense of God\u2019s presence in the midst of pain that we could not articulate. And shock.\u00a0 We had no idea it would be this devastating.\u00a0 Basically a death warrant that maybe three months later I would never see my wife again.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Did you start to think, \u201cHow do I fill the next three months if that\u2019s what I\u2019ve got?\u00a0 How do I jam the rest of life that I had imagined into this three month period?\u201d?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Absolutely.\u00a0 We had gotten to a place where we almost had an empty nest.\u00a0 God was letting us speak around the country for marriage seminars.\u00a0 We were both writing.\u00a0 God was opening wonderful doors for us as a couple.\u00a0 So it\u2019s \u201cLord, what about that?\u00a0 What about your call on our lives?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen I thought about my boys.\u00a0 None of our boys were married.\u00a0 We\u2019d talked about, of course, about having grandchildren, going to our kids weddings, and seeing them graduate from school.\u00a0 So, I was just flooded, as a guy, with thoughts.\u00a0 And of course Carrie as a mom, wanting to be there for her sons\u2019 wedding, graduation, walking the kids down the aisle when they get married.\u00a0 We sat there probably Bob, for about three or four hours and just wept and cried and prayed.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis may sound funny at times, but we also laughed.\u00a0 Some listeners may not understand this but, several times during that conversation, we made comments about God\u2019s grace and goodness.\u00a0 I remembered a story I had told Carrie.\u00a0 When I was in Promise Keepers, I had my diagnosis of cancer, Bill McCartney; \u201cCoach Mac\u201d told the board.\u00a0 They came around me and prayed for me.\u00a0 When they left, Dr. Howard Hendricks was sitting on my left.\u00a0 Howie had just had, I think, an eleven hour surgery for cancer on his face.\u00a0 His face was still sore and pussy and he had a bandage.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs the guys left, Howie turned over, put his hand on my knee, leaned in and said, \u201cGary, when they were taking me into the operating room, it\u2019s like I heard God say, \u2018Hendricks, your whole life you\u2019ve told people I\u2019m sovereign.\u00a0 Well, either I am, or I\u2019m not.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 And there was a sense that God is sovereign, He\u2019s here.\u00a0 He\u2019s in the midst of this.\u00a0 That\u2019s in the midst of the tears and the shock, and \u201cHow are we going to do this?\u201d and \u201cWhat if it\u2019s not three months, what if it\u2019s a week?\u00a0 What if it\u2019s two weeks?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Undoubtedly there are a number of our listeners who are facing\u2014maybe it\u2019s not health issues, but perhaps loss of a job, maybe a prodigal child where they\u2019re going through a deep valley.\u00a0 Barbara and my daughter Rebecca wrote a book called <em>Symphony in the Dark<\/em>.\u00a0 In the book, they quoted someone that, I just want to read this to you because, I think it has to do with what you just said.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe quote reads:\u00a0 \u201cOnly we, who have been washed in the blood of the lamb, can both weep and laugh at the same time.\u00a0 And with the hearts that are breaking in pieces scattered all over the floor, say with sincerity and honesty that it is well with my soul.\u201d\u00a0 Who said that, Gary?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That\u2019s familiar.\u00a0 I believe I said that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You did.\u00a0 You know, you just mentioned it; you can laugh and weep at the same time because of who you know in the midst of a profound dark moment.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We are the only ones.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been a psychologist; I\u2019ve been in ministry for 35 years, as a psychologist for 30 years.\u00a0 We are the only ones who can do that.\u00a0 Only those of us who have been to the cross, who know the Lord and been born again, only we can weep and grieve and, as I talk about things, even two and a half years later, there\u2019s still an ache, I find my throat getting dry, but yet, we can also have genuine legitimate, real joy.\u00a0 Not just happiness, because happiness depends on what happens to us.\u00a0 But real joy goes above circumstances and situations.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, and it\u2019s because of the gospel.\u00a0 It\u2019s because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, and defeating death, and ultimately being resurrected and seated at the right hand of God the Father.\u00a0 He\u2019s got a plan for us.\u00a0 I want to go back and underscore what you said, \u201cNothing happens apart from God\u2019s sovereign rule in our lives.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, there are some Christians, who don\u2019t believe that.\u00a0 I hope we\u2019ll get a chance to talk more about that later.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t know how you\u2019d live if you didn\u2019t believe that.\u00a0 That there is one who is in control and it\u2019s not me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Well, Job\u2019s wife didn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 She said, \u201cCurse God and die.\u201d\u00a0 Job said, \u201cYou know, I came with nothing, I\u2019m going back with nothing, blessed be the name of the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 Even in the midst of what had gone on.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou are one who has studied how people grieve.\u00a0 Now here, all of a sudden, you are in the midst of it.\u00a0 You know Kubler Ross\u2019s stages of grief.\u00a0 Did you find yourself going, \u201cOh!\u00a0 I\u2019m in denial now, I\u2019m in anger.\u201d\u00a0 Did you identify yourself going through all of this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Oh yes.\u00a0 It was interesting too because what was helpful for me was to know that what I was going through was normal.\u00a0 I find so many folks and especially believers who, many do not have a theology of grief.\u00a0 A theology of loss or sorrow, and that is one of the most precious parts of who we are as believers.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I agree\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I\u2019ll come back to that.\u00a0 But I realized that, was it three-fourths of the Psalms are Psalms of lament?\u00a0 Jesus wept, not because he didn\u2019t know what was going to happen, but he shed legitimate tears of grief.\u00a0 He mourned and that was very helpful for me to know that it was OK to grieve.\u00a0 It was OK to cry, and OK to tell God that, \u201cGod this doesn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t fair.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t sign for this.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019d been having my quiet time, I was fasting regularly, I was doing my bible memory.\u00a0 These things should happen to those who aren\u2019t doing all those things.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYet, there was a very clear sense that circumstances don\u2019t determine reality.\u00a0 I think for most of my life I lived that way, that whatever happens to me determines how I am.\u00a0 But we can rise above our circumstances.\u00a0 When Paul says \u201cBeing more than conquerors\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I think much of my life, early on, I was more than conquered.\u00a0 Because I let my circumstances determine my reality.\u00a0 Somehow God gave\u2014during Carrie\u2019s you know, the three months became over two years.\u00a0 That was a miracle given the nature of her cancer.\u00a0 And during that time, we had times of great joy, and great laughter.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact the morning of Carrie\u2019s last morning, which we didn\u2019t know it was going to be the morning that she was going to graduate and enter His presence.\u00a0 As we were holding hands, she said, \u201cYou know these last two years have been two of the hardest years of our life.\u201d\u00a0 When you take the chemo and stuff that she was having and the cancer that just ate her body away.\u00a0 This athletic, spunky, intense, passionate, vibrant woman could not even barely walk from the bedroom to the living room.\u00a0 She said, \u201cYou know, I\u2019ve never felt more loved, and been more in love than we are today.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat was true.\u00a0 People think, you become impaired physically your body deteriorates and how can you have love, how can you express love?\u00a0 I tell you what, in all honesty, during those last two years, God taught us ways of loving, and we experienced a depth of love that we didn\u2019t experience the first two years of our marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>As it turned out, you and Carrie were going to face another challenge together that neither of you anticipated.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to unpack that as we continue this conversation this week.\u00a0 But, Dennis, I guess the message for listeners today is that in the midst of the valley of the shadow, God is still walking alongside you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>He is.\u00a0 As I started out talking about the storms of life, when they hit, they do reveal what you\u2019ve been building your home on.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been building your home around the scriptures, around a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, about walking with God, being obedient to Him, then yes there\u2019s grief, yes there\u2019s a sense of loss.\u00a0 Yes, there are difficult times, but you didn\u2019t get ready for the day you got the news of pancreatic cancer, that morning.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou had spent the previous quarter century getting ready with Carrie, to be able to withstand what came your way.\u00a0 That really is the message of today\u2019s broadcast.\u00a0 Today is the day to build your home upon Jesus Christ and the truth of God\u2019s word, and make him the Lord and the builder of it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, what Gary talked about here, about this phenomenon of he and Carrie weeping and laughing simultaneously sounded to me like something you and your family went through as your daughter Rebecca and her husband Jake welcomed in a new baby girl named Molly, almost two years ago now, only to learn that Molly would not live long.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tRebecca tells that story along with your wife Barbara in a very compelling, very moving book called <em>A Symphony in the Dark<\/em>.\u00a0 If our listeners have not read this story, and not read about the same kind of phenomenon you\u2019ve talked about here today, Gary.\u00a0 How you meet God profoundly in the middle of some of life\u2019s hardest moments.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to encourage you to go to FamilyLifeToday.com, get a copy of the book and then get the CDs that have the interviews that we did with Rebecca and Jake, and with you and Barbara and with Jake\u2019s parents, Bill and Pam Mutz.\u00a0 It\u2019s a moving series of programs and a very moving book.\u00a0 Again it\u2019s called <em>A Symphony in the Dark<\/em>, and you can get more information about it on our website which is FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s also information there about a book that I know you\u2019ve recommended, Dennis to a lot of people in the midst of grief.\u00a0 A book called <em>A Grace Disguised<\/em> by Jerry Sittser.\u00a0 If you know somebody who is going through the grieving process following the loss of a spouse or a son or a daughter or any loved one.\u00a0 This is a book that will minister to them profoundly.\u00a0 Again it\u2019s called, <em>A Grace Disguised<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can order all of these resources from us by going to FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 Again our website FamilyLifeToday.com, order online from us if you\u2019d like, or call 1-800-FLTODAY,\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 That\u2019s 1-800 F as in \u201cfamily\u201d L as in \u201clife\u201d and then the word TODAY.\u00a0 When you call we\u2019ll make arrangements to get whatever you need sent to you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to take just a minute to say thank you to the many listeners we\u2019ve heard from this month who have called in or gone online to help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s always an encouragement for us to hear from new listeners, particularly who call and say, \u201cWe believe in what you guys are doing, and we want to see it continue on our local station, and we want to help support it.\u201d\u00a0 You make whatever kind of a donation you\u2019re able to make.\u00a0 That\u2019s a great encouragement to us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis month we have been offering a DVD, as a way of saying thank you to those of you who are able to support the ministry financially.\u00a0 The DVD is called <em>Magdalena<\/em>, and it tells the story of the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene.\u00a0 So, again if you\u2019re able to help with a donation this month, just go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, log on to make a donation, and as you fill out your form, there\u2019 s a key code box on the donation form type in \u201cMAGDVD\u201d, \u201cMAGDVD\u201d and we\u2019ll know to send you a copy of the <em>Magdalena<\/em> DVD.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr call 1-800-FLTODAY, you can make a donation over the phone and just ask for the DVD we\u2019re offering.\u00a0 Again, we\u2019re happy to send it out to you and we can\u2019t say thank you enough for stepping up and making a donation.\u00a0 That really does mean a lot to us, and we appreciate your partnership.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow we\u2019re going to continue our conversation with Dr. Gary Oliver and hear more about how God met with him and with his wife Carrie in the midst of a very difficult season.\u00a0 I hope you can tune in for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today Keith Lynch and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of Familylife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>www.FamilyLife.com<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302003"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302003"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302003"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}